Toxicon最新文献

{"title":"Subject: Concerns regarding the article “comparative clinical observations following introduction of a new polyvalent antivenom for snakebite envenoming in northern Nigeria” by Hamman et al. Toxicon 266 (2025) 108510","authors":"Muhammad Hamza , Titus B. Dajel , Nicholas A. Hamman , Saidu B. Abubakar , Garba Iliyasu , Basheer Z. Chedi , Abdulrazaq G. Habib","doi":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108596","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108596","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23289,"journal":{"name":"Toxicon","volume":"268 ","pages":"Article 108596"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145178958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Subject: Concerns regarding the article “comparative clinical observations following introduction of a new polyvalent antivenom for snakebite envenoming in northern Nigeria” by Hamman et al. Toxicon 266 (2025) 108510","authors":"Garba Iliyasu , Saidu B. Abubakar , Nicholas A. Hamman , Titus B. Dajel , Muhammad Hamza , Basheer Z. Chedi , Abdulrazaq G. Habib","doi":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108595","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108595","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23289,"journal":{"name":"Toxicon","volume":"268 ","pages":"Article 108595"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145178912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Baicalin-aluminum complexes inhibit growth and suppress virulence of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in vitro.","authors":"Chun Ye, Xingyue Li, Yunqi Liu, Yuqian Chen, Ming Zhao, Ronghua Yin, Qirong Lu, Jin Liu, Yu Liu, Shulin Fu, Yinsheng Qiu","doi":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108602","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108602","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the leading cause of diarrhea in piglets. With the restricted use of antibiotics, there is an urgent need to identify effective alternatives to control ETEC-induced diarrhea. This study aimed to investigate the effects of baicalin-aluminum (BA) complexes on ETEC growth, bacterial membrane permeability, enterotoxin release, and expression of virulence-related factors through dose-dependent growth inhibition assays, membrane permeability tests, ELISA-based toxin quantification, and qRT-PCR analysis of virulence factors (e.g., est, elt, faeG). We demonstrated that BA complexes significantly inhibited ETEC growth in a dose-dependent and increased membrane permeability. Additionally, BA complexes effectively reduced the secretion of enterotoxins and downregulated the expression of ETEC virulence-related factors. These findings suggest that BA complexes exert antibacterial effects by compromising membrane integrity and suppressing virulence-related pathways, though their precise molecular mechanisms require further investigation. In conclusion, BA complexes may serve as a promising antibiotic alternative for managing ETEC infections in piglets, offering a multi-targeted approach to inhibit bacterial viability and virulence.</p>","PeriodicalId":23289,"journal":{"name":"Toxicon","volume":" ","pages":"108602"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145178901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling scorpionism in Northern Algerian Sahara (El Oued Province): Epidemiological trends and faunistic diversity","authors":"Hamza Saadi ,&nbsp;Aicha Mouane ,&nbsp;Nacira Ramdani ,&nbsp;Maria Chikha ,&nbsp;Hanine Belkacemi ,&nbsp;Manar Fethiza Ali ,&nbsp;Fares Mohamed Amine ,&nbsp;Massaoud Gueddoul ,&nbsp;Salah Eddine Sadine","doi":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108597","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108597","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Scorpion envenoming is a major health problem in many countries, especially in rural regions such as El-Oued region (Algeria). Our study is a contribution to characterize the epidemiological situation of scorpion envenoming in the province of El Oued, by an exhaustive search for the causal species and an analysis of the epidemiological data of this region. During the study, we sampled a large number of scorpions belonging to ten scorpion species specialized in this biotope which qualified this region as a red zone, in particular <em>Androctonus austalis</em> (relative abundance = 48,72 %) the most dangerous species in Algeria.</div><div>Analysis of epidemiological data (2018–2024) showed that 34,640 cases of scorpion stings were reported, resulting in 10 deaths. When the morbidity shows an average annual incidence rate of 585.8 per 100,000 inhabitants. The highest incidence rate was reported in 2019, with 694.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and the highest number of stings was recorded in 2020, (6259 cases). During the seven years of study, the scorpion stings affect more men than women, with a sex ratio of 2.86. This observation is noted for all age groups, the most affected being those aged 15 to 49, representing 64.39 % of cases. However, the scorpion stings are mostly concentrated (41.14 %) between 18h and 23h. While, September recorded the highest number of cases of the year with more than 1040. Mortality analysis shows an equal number of deaths between the sexes and the distribution of deaths by age group reveals a predominance among individuals aged 15–49 (40 %), noting that the highest case lethality rate in our study was recorded in 2018, at approximately 0.09 %, with 5 deaths.</div><div>Our study on the epidemiological and scorpion diversity in El Oued province represents a fundamental starting point for future research aimed at understanding the factors contributing to scorpion envenomation, particularly species diversity, proliferation factors, and the identification of red (high-risk) zones. These findings can help raise public awareness and guide citizens to avoid settlement or urban expansion in areas at risk.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23289,"journal":{"name":"Toxicon","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 108597"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145150413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Introducing the toxin-ID nomenclature to enable storage of venom toxin data in online repositories","authors":"Volker Herzig","doi":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108592","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108592","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The naming of venom toxins was largely ad hoc until the introduction of a rational nomenclature with a structured framework for naming venom peptides conveying taxonomic, pharmacological and structural information. Unfortunately, the resulting toxin names are susceptible to frequent name changes, necessitating a more stable nomenclature extending beyond peptides for long-term storage of toxin records in online repositories. The proposed <strong>toxin ID</strong> nomenclature includes a class-level taxonomic identifier plus a unique number within each class.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23289,"journal":{"name":"Toxicon","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 108592"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145138990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Concerns regarding the article “Comparative clinical observations following introduction of a new polyvalent antivenom for snakebite envenoming in northern Nigeria” by Hamman et al. Toxicon 266 (2025) 108510","authors":"Vishwas B. Sovani","doi":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108593","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108593","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23289,"journal":{"name":"Toxicon","volume":"268 ","pages":"Article 108593"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145138963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Myotoxin II, a snake venom Lys49 phospholipase A2 homolog, induces activation of the ryanodine receptor in artificial bilayers","authors":"Peter Szentesi ,&nbsp;Zsuzsanna É. Magyar ,&nbsp;Julián Fernández ,&nbsp;László Csernoch ,&nbsp;Marco Ruiz-Campos ,&nbsp;Bruno Lomonte ,&nbsp;José María Gutiérrez ,&nbsp;Alfredo Jesús Lopez-Dávila","doi":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108590","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108590","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Envenomation by viperid snakes causes acute muscle tissue injury (myonecrosis). An important group of myotoxic components comprises catalytically-inactive Lys49 phospholipase A₂ homologs, which disrupt the integrity of the plasma membrane of skeletal muscle fibers through a mechanism that does not involve phospholipid hydrolysis. However, it remains unknown whether other mechanisms are involved in the cytotoxic action of these myotoxins. In this work, isolated calcium release channels (ryanodine receptor, RyR1) incorporated into an artificial lipid bilayer were used to study the action of the Lys49 phospholipase A₂ homolog myotoxin II (Mt-II) from the venom of <em>Bothrops asper</em>. Mt-II induced a dose-dependent activation of the RyR1. The open probability of the channel increased with the dose of the toxin. The maximal conductance of the channel remained unchanged during the toxin treatment. Furthermore, the analysis of the open and closed states showed a slight toxin dependency of the latter. These findings suggest that, in addition to the calcium influx from the extracellular space through the disrupted plasma membrane, Ca²⁺ release from the internal stores may also occur. However, incubation of C2C12 myotubes in culture with the RyR1 antagonist dantrolene did not reduce the extent of cytotoxicity induced by Mt-II, suggesting that the RyR1-mediated increase in cytosolic Ca²⁺ does not contribute to the overall myotoxicity of this toxin.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23289,"journal":{"name":"Toxicon","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 108590"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145119253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Context makes the clot: Evolutionary and translational mismatches in snake venom thrombin-like enzyme-induced fibrin-clot formation between human and diverse animal plasmas","authors":"Bryan G. Fry,&nbsp;Holly Morecroft,&nbsp;Abhinandan Chowdhury","doi":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108584","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108584","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Snake venoms produce dynamic effects upon the blood chemistry of both prey species and human bite victims. However, comparative testing to ascertain differential coagulotoxic effects between humans and animals, and therefore the suitability of animal models to predict human effects, are scarce. To fill this knowledge gap, this study tested how pitviper with thrombin-like venoms act across vertebrate plasmas and whether animal models predict human outcomes. We evaluated <em>Deinagkistrodon acutus, Gloydius tsushimaensis, Ovophis okinavensis, Protobothrops mangshanensis,</em> and <em>Trimeresurus albolabris</em> using thromboelastography on human, rodent, avian, and amphibian plasmas. Assays quantified initiation, kinetics, and maximal clot strength. On human plasma, all venoms were thrombin-like, acting in a pseudo-procoagulant manner to form weak, transient fibrin clots. Clinically this would result in a net anticoagulant effect through fibrinogen depletion. However, the results on animal plasmas differed markedly. At the dose tested which produced a potent response in human plasma, none of the venoms displayed the thrombin-like activity on any animal plasma. Instead, there were a myriad of other strong activities suggesting destructive cleavage of fibrinogen, inhibition of clotting enzymes, and activation of clotting factor zymogens. As such, the potent thrombin-like activity on human plasma appears to be an evolutionary bioproduct, rather than one that is selected for prey plasma. Translationally in this case, the animal models did not reliably predict the mechanistic underpinnings of human fibrinogen-depleting snakebite outcomes. This emphasises the importance of preclinical testing of venom effects to predict snakebite coagulotoxic outcomes, which should be based upon human plasma testing rather than animal models. These results underscore how snake venom research is fundamentally at the intersection between evolutionary biology and toxicology, with a single data set having implications for diverse, yet interlocking, fields of research. These outcomes suggest that, for at least thrombin-like serine proteases, animal models in general are poor predictors of potential human clinical effects, and reciprocally that effects on human material are poor predictors of potential prey pathophysiological effects exerted by these toxic enzymes. Other coagulotoxic enzymes should be examined for similar discrepancies between animal and human plasmas, and consequently the utility of animal models as predictors of human clinical effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23289,"journal":{"name":"Toxicon","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 108584"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145113913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leishmanicidal effect of dinoponeratoxin peptides from Dinoponera quadriceps","authors":"Dorotheia Teixeira Alves ,&nbsp;Dânya Bandeira Lima ,&nbsp;Naya Lucia de Castro Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Raquel Pinheiro do Nascimento ,&nbsp;Paulo Iury Gomes Nunes ,&nbsp;Emanuel Paula Magalhães ,&nbsp;Ramon Róseo Paula Pessoa Bezerra de Menezes ,&nbsp;Maria Jania Teixeira ,&nbsp;Alice Maria Costa Martins","doi":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108587","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108587","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Leishmaniasis, caused by protozoa of the genus <em>Leishmania</em>, remains a major global public health concern, with an estimated 30,000 deaths annually. Toxicity and emerging resistance to first-line therapies have hindered disease control. Arthropod antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a promising source of novel therapeutic alternatives. Dinoponeratoxins from the venom of the ant <em>Dinoponera quadriceps</em> have demonstrated notable antimicrobial and trypanocidal activities. This study evaluated the leishmanicidal potential of dinoponeratoxins M-PONTX-Dq3a, M-PONTX-Dq3b and M-PONTX-Dq3c. The treatment with M-PONTX-Dq3a showed the best results in <em>L. braziliensis</em> infection, exhibiting leishmanicidal activity against both parasite forms, increasing TNF-α and nitrite production in macrophages and inducing apoptosis in promastigotes. These findings support M-PONTX-Dq3a as a potential biopharmaceutical candidate for leishmaniasis treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23289,"journal":{"name":"Toxicon","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 108587"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145114056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gestational or lactational exposure to L-mimosine in rats: maternal toxicity, fetal growth retardation, and compromised skeletal development","authors":"Elaine R.M. de Almeida ,&nbsp;Silvana L. Górniak ,&nbsp;Cláudia Momo ,&nbsp;Edimar C. Pereira ,&nbsp;Isis M. Hueza","doi":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108589","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108589","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>L-mimosine, a compound found in legumes of the <em>Leucaena</em> genus, is known for its ability to disrupt the cell cycle and its toxic properties. Its effects during critical periods such as gestation and lactation remain poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the potential toxic effects of L-mimosine in rats exposed during these periods, as well as its transfer through biological fluids, such as milk, to offspring. Oral doses of 140, 240, or 340 mg/kg of maternal body weight were administered, and a control group (CO), which received only the vehicle, was included. During gestation, dams received L-mimosine from gestational days 6–21, whereas exposure through lactation occurs from postnatal days (PNDs) 1–21. Maternal and offspring body weight gain (BWG), maternal food consumption, and clinical signs were monitored, and offspring physical and reflex development was also assessed. Milk and maternal blood samples were collected for L-mimosine quantification, and the phytotoxin was detected in both biological fluids. Following <em>in utero</em> exposure, marked toxic effects were observed, especially at the 240 mg/kg dose. In dams, significant reductions (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) in total BWG and food intake, alopecia, decreased relative right kidney weight, increased relative thymus weight, and splenic lymphoid hyperplasia were recorded. The offspring presented significant reductions (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) in litter weight at birth and at PND 42, an increased number of stillbirths, delayed incisor eruption, and physical malformations. Histopathological analyses revealed mild to moderate alterations in the kidneys and spleen. In contrast, lactational exposure resulted in no noteworthy maternal or offspring effects, despite confirmed L-mimosine excretion in milk. These findings underscore the pronounced vulnerability of the developing organism to L-mimosine when exposure occurs <em>in utero</em>, emphasizing the importance of gestational periods as critical windows for toxicological risk.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23289,"journal":{"name":"Toxicon","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 108589"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145102931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}