Rat atrial responses to Bothrops jararacussu (jararacucu) snake venom

Author(s)

Rodrigues, Mariana A. P. ^[1] ; Dias, Lourdes ^[1] ; Rennno, Andre L. ^[1] ; Sousa, Norma C. ^[1] ; Smaal, Adriana ^[1] ; da Silva, Delano A. ^[1] ; Hyslop, Stephen ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, UNICAMP, Fac Ciencias Med, Dept Farmacol, BR-130P887 Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Toxicology; v. 323, p. 109-124, SEP 2 2014.
• Web of Science Citations: 4

Abstract

Envenoming by the pitviper Bothrops jararacussu produces cardiovascular alterations, including coagulopathy, systemic hemorrhage, hypotension, circulatory shock and renal failure. In this work, we examined the activity of this venom in rat isolated right atria. Incubation with venom (0.025, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 mg/ml) caused concentration-dependent muscle contracture that was not reversed by washing. Muscle damage was seen histologically and confirmed by quantification of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) release. Heating and preincubation of venom with p-bromophenacyl bromide (a phospholipase A(2) inhibitor) abolished the venom-induced contracture and muscle damage. In contrast, indomethacin, a non-selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase, and verapamil, a voltage-gated Ca2+ channel blocker, did not affect the responses to venom. Preincubation of venom with Bothrops or Bothrops/Crotalus antivenom or the addition of antivenom soon after venom attenuated the venom-induced changes in atrial function and tissue damage. These results indicate that B. jararacussu venom adversely affected rat atrial contractile activity and muscle organization through the action of venom PLA(2); these venom-induced alterations were attenuated by antivenom. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)