Local and systemic pathophysiological alterations induced by a serine proteinase from the venom of the snake Bothrops jararacussu

• Published in: Toxicon (Oxford) 2007-06, Vol.49 (7), p.1063-1069
• Main Authors: Pérez, Aida Verónica, Saravia, Patricia, Rucavado, Alexandra, Sant’Ana, Carolina D., Soares, Andreimar M., Gutiérrez, José María
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal poisons toxicology. Antivenoms; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Bothrops; Bothrops jararacussu; Crotalid Venoms - enzymology; Defibrin(ogen)ation; Edema - chemically induced; Enzyme Activation - drug effects; Enzyme Precursors - drug effects; Enzyme Precursors - metabolism; Gelatinases - drug effects; Hemorrhage - chemically induced; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 - metabolism; Medical sciences; Metalloendopeptidases - drug effects; Mice; MMPs; Muscles - pathology; Necrosis - chemically induced; Serine Endopeptidases - isolation & purification; Serine Endopeptidases - toxicity; Serine proteinase; Thrombin-like; Toxicity Tests; Toxicology
• ISSN: 0041-0101; 1879-3150
• DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2006.12.011

The local and systemic pathophysiological alterations induced by BjussuSP-I, a thrombin-like serine proteinase from the venom of the snake Bothrops jararacussu, were assessed in mice. BjussuSP-I induced a mild edema but no local myonecrosis or hemorrhage. It did not induce any microvascular alteration in the cremaster muscle. Intramuscular injection of BjussuSP-I promoted an increase in the expression of proMMP-9, but it did not induce the activation of proMMP-2 or proMMP-9 synthesized in muscle tissue injected with a myotoxic phospholipase A 2 homolog. BjussuSP-I induced defibrin(ogen)ation upon intravenous and intramuscular injections, with reduction in plasma fibrinogen concentration and increments in the levels of fibrin degradation products and D-dimer. When compared with animals having normal coagulation, mice defibrin(ogen)ated by BjussuSP-I developed a slightly larger hemorrhagic lesion in the skin when injected with metalloproteinase BaP1. Intravenous injection of sublethal doses of BjussuSP-I promoted a series of behavioral and motor changes similar to those previously described for ‘gyroxin’, i.e. opisthotonus and a circular body movement along the longitudinal axis.