Inhibition of enzymatic activities of Bothrops asper snake venom and docking analysis of compounds from plants used in Central America to treat snakebite envenoming.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Snakebite envenoming is a public health problem of high impact in Central America. Bothrops asper, known as barba amarilla, terciopelo, and equis, is the snake species responsible for most snakebites in Central America. In this region, there is a long-standing tradition on the use of plants in the management of snakebites, especially in indigenous communities.

Changes in basement membrane components in an experimental model of skeletal muscle degeneration and regeneration induced by snake venom and myotoxic phospholipase A.

Skeletal muscle regeneration is impaired after myonecrosis induced by viperid snake venoms, but the mechanisms behind such poor regenerative outcome are not fully understood. This study compared the changes in basement membrane (BM) components in mouse skeletal muscle in two different scenarios of muscle injury: (a) injection of Bothrops asper venom, as a model of poor regeneration, and (b) injection of a myotoxic fraction (Mtx) isolated from this venom, as a model of successful regeneration. The degradation and reposition of laminin, type IV collagen and fibronectin were assessed over time by a combination of immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and real time polymerase chain reaction.

Why is Skeletal Muscle Regeneration Impaired after Myonecrosis Induced by Viperid Snake Venoms?

Skeletal muscle regeneration after myonecrosis involves the activation, proliferation and fusion of myogenic cells, and a coordinated inflammatory response encompassing phagocytosis of necrotic cell debris, and the concerted synthesis of cytokines and growth factors. Myonecrosis often occurs in snakebite envenomings. In the case of venoms that cause myotoxicity without affecting the vasculature, such as those of many elapid snakes, regeneration proceeds successfully.

Homogenates of skeletal muscle injected with snake venom inhibit myogenic differentiation in cell culture.

Introduction: Viperid snakebite envenomings are characterized by muscle necrosis and a deficient regenerative response.

Methods: Homogenates from gastrocnemius muscles of mice injected with the venom of the snake Bothrops asper or with 2 tissue-damaging toxins were added to cultures of C2C12 myogenic cells. Myoblasts proliferation and fusion were assessed.

Poor regenerative outcome after skeletal muscle necrosis induced by Bothrops asper venom: alterations in microvasculature and nerves.

Background: Viperid snakebite envenoming is characterized by prominent local tissue damage, including muscle necrosis. A frequent outcome of such local pathology is deficient skeletal muscle regeneration, which causes muscle dysfunction, muscle loss and fibrosis, thus provoking permanent sequelae that greatly affect the quality of life of patients. The causes of such poor regenerative outcome of skeletal muscle after viperid snakebites are not fully understood.

Increased infectivity of Staphylococcus aureus in an experimental model of snake venom-induced tissue damage.

Soft-tissue infection is commonly found in patients bitten by Latin American Bothrops snakes. Staphylococcus aureus, which is not present in the mouth of the snake, is frequently isolated from these infections. The effects of B.

Membrane independent activation of fibroblast proMMP-2 by snake venom: novel roles for venom proteinases.

ProMMP-2 activation by Bothrops asper venom was investigated in mouse gastrocnemius muscle, mammalian cell culture and a cell-free system. Zymography revealed an increment of latent and activated forms of MMP-2 in muscle homogenates 1-3 days after venom injection. To clarify if venom can induce expression and activation of MMP-2, independently of the inflammatory response, venom was added to cultured human fibroblasts, endothelial and skeletal muscle cells, which expressed proMMP-2 constitutively.