Abstract
Snakebites are a health problem in many countries due to the high incidence of such accidents. Antivenom treatment has regularly been used for more than a century, however, this does not neutralize tissue damage and may even increase the severity and morbidity of accidents. Thus, it has been relevant to search for new strategies to improve antiserum therapy, and a variety of molecules from natural sources with antiophidian properties have been reported. In this paper, we analyzed the ability of ten extracts from marine sponges (Amphimedon viridis, Aplysina fulva, Chondrosia collectrix, Desmapsamma anchorata, Dysidea etheria, Hymeniacidon heliophila, Mycale angulosa, Petromica citrina, Polymastia janeirensis, and Tedania ignis) to inhibit the effects caused by Bothrops jararaca and Lachesis muta venom. All sponge extracts inhibited proteolysis and hemolysis induced by both snake venoms, except H. heliophila, which failed to inhibit any biological activity. P. citrina inhibited lethality, hemorrhage, plasma clotting, and hemolysis induced by B. jararaca or L. muta. Moreover, other sponges inhibited hemorrhage induced only by B. jararaca. We conclude that Brazilian sponges may be a useful aid in the treatment of snakebites caused by L. muta and B. jararaca and therefore have potential for the discovery of molecules with antiophidian properties.
Highlights
Snakebite envenomation is an important public health problem in tropical, subtropical, and developing countries, and according to World Health Organization is a neglected disease [1]
It has been shown, for the first time, that extracts of marine sponges inhibit in vivo and in vitro biological effects induced by snake venoms from B. jararaca and L. muta
Our results showed that sponge extracts inhibited the biological effects induced by B. jararaca and
Summary
Snakebite envenomation is an important public health problem in tropical, subtropical, and developing countries, and according to World Health Organization is a neglected disease [1]. Snake bite is estimated to affect more than five million people per year, with 100,000 death and around three times as many amputations or other disabilities; the exact number of is unknown [1,2]. Snake venoms are composed of a complex mixture of enzymes and non-enzymatic proteins that interact and interfere with several systems of the body, affecting haemostasis and leading to pathophysiological disturbances. Envenomation by snakes causes systemic effects as well as local reactions in the region of the bite [3,4,5]. Cardiovascular, renal and respiratory symptoms, hemolysis, and hemorrhage; while locally there may be tissue necrosis causing permanent disability resulting in limb amputation, hemorrhage, edema, pain, and inflammatory reactions [6,7,8].
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