Mônica Lopes-Ferreira, Felipe Justiniano Pinto, Yasmin Stefanie Oliveira Costa, Alessa Aparecida Burgarelli, Louise Lene Gomes Lima, Bibiana da Silva Marques, Carla Simone Seibert, Elineide Eugenio Marques, Patrícia Charvet, Vidal Haddad, João Gabriel Dos Santos Rosa, Geonildo Rodrigo Disner, Carla Lima
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Brazilian waters are home to various venomous fish species, each with its unique venom composition. Although common, envenomation cases are largely underreported, leading to a lack of public health policies for prevention and treatment. Some of the most clinically relevant fish in Brazil include the stingray Potamotrygon orbignyi, the toadfish Thalassophryne nattereri, the scorpionfish Scorpaena plumieri, and the catfish Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum and Cathorops spixii.
Methods: We comprehensively searched reports about accidents involving venomous fish in Brazil and compared the toxic activities of some medically relevant species.
Results: From the biochemical and toxicological evaluation, we found that venoms show a hierarchy in the ability to induce local toxic effects in mice, probably related to the venom compound diversity with species-specific toxins. T. nattereri venom presents greater toxicity, causing more severe local responses than that of P. orbignyi, C. spixii, and P. fasciatum, which cause moderate reactions. The S. plumieri venom induced only a moderate level of edema and could not cause nociception or necrosis. These results highlight that envenomation by P. orbigny, C. spixii, and S. plumieri is marked by proteins with intense hemolytic/proteolytic and phospholipase activity. On the other hand, T. nattereri and P. fasciatum offered a broader panel of new toxin families.
Conclusion: Knowledge of fish venom biochemical and toxicological activities is crucial to antivenom therapy development and helps endorse the study of venomous fish and their impact on the public health system.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases (JVATiTD) is a non-commercial academic open access publication dedicated to research on all aspects of toxinology, venomous animals and tropical diseases. Its interdisciplinary content includes original scientific articles covering research on toxins derived from animals, plants and microorganisms. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:systematics and morphology of venomous animals;physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology and immunology of toxins;epidemiology, clinical aspects and treatment of envenoming by different animals, plants and microorganisms;development and evaluation of antivenoms and toxin-derivative products;epidemiology, clinical aspects and treatment of tropical diseases (caused by virus, bacteria, algae, fungi and parasites) including the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) defined by the World Health Organization.