Photobiomodulation therapy on local effects induced by juvenile and adult venoms of Bothrops alternatus.

Bothrops snake envenomation is characterized by severe local manifestations such as pain, edema, inflammation, hemorrhage, and myonecrosis. Furthermore, it is described that venom from juvenile and adult snakes may have differences in their composition that can lead to differences in the evolution of the clinical manifestation of the victim. Photobiomodulation (PBM) has been shown to be an effective adjuvant therapy to serum therapy to reduce the local effects induced by bothropic snake venom. This study evaluated the effect of PBM on the local reaction, after Bothrops alternatus snake venom (BaV) injection, in its juvenile (BaJV) and adult (BaAV) stages. Balb/C mice were injected with the juvenile or adult venoms of BaV or saline solution (control group). PBM at a wavelength of 660 nm, 100 mW, 0.33 W/cm2, 40 s, and a 0.028 cm2 beam was applied transcutaneous to a single point with a radiant exposure of 4 J/cm2, 30 min after venom injection. Edema, inflammatory infiltrate, hyperalgesia, and myonecrosis were analyzed. Both venoms induced significant edema and myonecrosis in the gastrocnemius muscle. Hyperalgesia in the mice paw and a prominent leukocyte infiltrate into the peritoneum were also observed. PBM significantly reduced all evaluated parameters. In conclusion, PBM treatment was effective in reducing the local effects induced by B. alternatus venom at different stages of snake development and could be a useful tool as an adjuvant treatment for bothropic envenomation.

Venoms and Isolated Toxins from Snakes of Medical Impact in the Northeast Argentina: State of the Art. Potential Pharmacological Applications.

Among the ophidians that inhabit the Northeast of Argentina, the genus Bothrops such as B. alternatus and B. diporus species (also known as yararás) and Crotalus durisus terrificus (named cascabel), represent the most studied snake venom for more than thirty years. These two genera of venomous snakes account for the majority of poisonous snake envenomations and therefore, constitute a medical emergency in this region. This review presents a broad description of the compiled knowledge about venomous snakebite: its pathophysiological action, protein composition, isolated toxins, toxin synergism, toxin-antitoxin cross-reaction assays. Properties of some isolated toxins support a potential pharmacological application.

Efecto proteolítico de venenos de serpientes del género bothrops (yarará) de la Argentina y su neutralización por un antiveneno bivalente / Proteolityc effect of bothrops snake venom (yarará) from Argentina and neutralization by bivalent antivenom

Se estudió la actividad proteolítica de los venenos del género Bothrops de diferentes especies que habitan el litoral argentino y su neutralización por un suero hiperinmune bivalente producido en la Argentina. Se midió la actividad proteolíticas sobre caseína y se determinó la dosis proteolítica mínima (DPM), y la dosis efectiva 50 (DE) del suero bivalente frente a cada veneno. Las actividades proteolíticas de los venenos B, alternatus, B. neuwiedii, B. jararaca, B. jararacussu y B. moojeni fueron inferiores a las que presentan otras especies de Bothrops que habitan la región de America Central. Los resultados de la DE mostraron que el suero fue efectivo para neutralizar tal actividad en todos ellos, a pesar de que el suero utilizado en estas experiencias era específico para B. alternatus y B. neuwiedii.