Abstract
Histopathological changes following krait (Bungarus) bites are not widely documented compared to other species of snakes. In this study, the histopathological changes in liver, kidney and brain tissues following intramuscular administration of venom of Bungarus ceylonicus and Bungarus caeruleus were studied. Serial dilutions of venom of the two species of snakes were injected to seven groups of mice after determination of protein concentrations. There were no macroscopically identifiable changes in any of the organs. Tissues were obtained for histological studies at 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h and 24 h time intervals following injection of venom. Histopathological changes namely congestion, inflammation and necrosis were observed microscopically in the tissues of liver, brain and kidney. These changes were proportionate to the dose of venom and were maximum in the liver at the dose of 1.0 μg/mouse for B. caeruleus venom and at 2.0 μg/mouse for B. ceylonicus venom. Histopathological changes observed due to B. caeruleus and B. ceylonicus venom appeared within 1 h in all tissues. Congestion was moderate in the liver and kidney but was less marked in brain. Inflammatory infiltration was seen in the perivascular regions in liver and kidney and was mainly lymphocytic. Venom of B. ceylonicus produced histopathological changes in the brain tissue, but not B. caeruleus venom. Histopathological changes were intense with B. ceylonicus venom than with B. caeruleus venom. Necrosis was seen in the liver and brain only following administration of B. ceylonicus venom. No histopathological changes were observed in skeletal and cardiac muscle with either venom. Key words: Bungarus ceylonicus, Bungarus caeruleus, inflammatory infiltration, congestion, necrosis DOI: 10.4038/cjsbs.v38i1.1321 Cey. J. Sci. (Bio. Sci.) 38 (1): 1-10, 2009
Highlights
Tissue changes following snake envenomation depend on the species of snake responsible for the bite, the composition of its venom and the susceptibility of the tissue for a particular component of the venom (Kamiguti et al, 2000)
Histopathological changes were seen in the liver, brain and the kidney and those were of an acute toxic insult
Bungarus venom is rich in neurotoxins and certain neurotoxins like kappatoxin have its primary action in the central nervous system
Summary
Tissue changes following snake envenomation depend on the species of snake responsible for the bite, the composition of its venom and the susceptibility of the tissue for a particular component of the venom (Kamiguti et al, 2000). Snake venom affects the kidneys more frequently than the other tissues. This is more pronounced when there is haemotoxins and vasculotoxins in venom. Renal manifestations are very common following viper bites (Sheriff, 1983). Changes due to viper venom have been seen in all renal structures (Soe et al, 1993). Degeneration, necrosis and regeneration of tubular epithelial cells are seen in renal tubules. Interstitial oedema, cellular infiltration, arteritis, thrombophlebitis, congestion, infarction and cortical necrosis have been observed (Sitprija, 2006; Kiran et al, 2004)
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