In vitro effects of Crotalus atrox snake venom on chick and mouse neuromuscular preparations.
The neuromuscular effect of venoms is not a major clinical manifestation shared between rattlesnakes native to the Americas, which showed two different venom phenotypes. Taking into account this dichotomy, nerve muscle preparations from mice and chicks were used to investigate the ability of Crotalus atrox venom to induce in vitro neurotoxicity and myotoxicity. Unlike crotalic venoms of South America, low concentrations of C. atrox venom did not result in significant effects on mouse neuromuscular preparations. The venom was more active on avian nerve-muscle, showing reduction of twitch heights after 120 min of incubation with 10, 30 and 100 μg/mL of venom with diminished responses to agonists and KCl. Histological analysis highlighted that C. atrox was myotoxic in both species of experimental animals; as evidenced by degenerative events, including edematous cells, delta lesions, hypercontracted fibers and muscle necrosis, which can lead to neurotoxic action. These results provide key insights into the myotoxicity and low neurotoxicity of C. atrox in two animal models, corroborating with previous genomic and proteomic findings and would be useful for a deeper understanding of venom evolution in snakes belonging to the genus Crotalus.
['Schezaro-Ramos|Raphael|R|', 'Da Silva|Saulo L|SL|', 'Pereira|Beatriz B|BB|', 'Santa Fé Miguel|Ananda T|AT|', 'Mendes|Bruno|B|', 'Mogollón|Noroska G S|NGS|', 'Hyslop|Stephen|S|', 'Carregari|Victor C|VC|', 'Almeida|José R|JR|']
D000818:Animals D002645:Chickens D003435:Crotalid Venoms D017839:Crotalus D003964:Diaphragm D004351:Drug Resistance D066298:In Vitro Techniques D008297:Male D051379:Mice D009119:Muscle Contraction D018482:Muscle, Skeletal D009412:Nerve Fibers D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents D009469:Neuromuscular Junction D009656:North America D009928:Organ Specificity D064170:Paraspinal Muscles D010791:Phrenic Nerve D013045:Species Specificity D013127:Spinal Nerves
Crotalus atrox Snake venom Myotoxicity Neuromuscular blockade