Toxicological Effects of the Horned Viper Venom Cerastes cerastes and their Neutralization with the Egyptian Scorpion Androctonus Australis Heamolymph

Abdou; Rania H; Fatma S. Abd El–Ghany; Ismail M Abdel–Nabi; Mohamed A. Abdel–Rahman

Volume : V, Issue : III, March - 2015

Toxicological Effects of the Horned Viper Venom Cerastes cerastes and their Neutralization with the Egyptian Scorpion Androctonus Australis Heamolymph

Abdou, Rania H, Fatma S. Abd El Ghany, Ismail M Abdel Nabi, Mohamed A. Abdel Rahman

Abstract :

The horned viper Cerastes cerastes is a venomous snake belongs to the viperidae family. This study was conducted to examine the toxicological effects of C. cerastes venom in mice and to investigate the neutralizing effects of Androctonus australis scorpion heamolymph. 1/5 LD50 (0.396 mgkg) of crude venom was injected intraperitoneally and various biochemical parameters have been evaluated at different time intrvals. Our results revealed that oxidative stress biomarkers ( lipid perioxidation, plasma protein carbonyl and plasma nitric oxide) as well as plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were significantly increased while, blood and liver glutathione and plasma total protein (PTP) were significantly decreased at 2, 4, 16 and 24 hours post venom injection. Interestingly, the haemolymph of the Egyptian scorpion A. australis neutralized the toxic effects of snake venom with the same efficacy of commercial polyvalent vipers antivenom. We conclude that the sera of Egyptian scorpions may have certain antitoxic proteins able to neutralize the toxicity of Cerastes cerastes venom.