Book ChapterDOI
Venomous snake bites, scorpions, and spiders.
TLDR
The toxins of scorpions and spiders commonly interfere with voltage-gated ion channels, and some have proved to be valuable pharmaceutical agents, while some others are widely exploited to study neuromuscular physiology and pathology.Abstract:
Neurologic dysfunction due to natural neurotoxins is an important, but neglected, public health hazard in many parts of the world, particularly in the tropics. These toxins are produced by or found among a variety of live forms that include venomous snakes, arthropods such as scorpions, spiders, centipedes, stinging insects (Hymenoptera), ticks, certain poisonous fish, shellfish, crabs, cone shells, skin secretions of dart-poison frogs, and bacterial poisons such as botulinum toxin. These toxins commonly act on neuromuscular transmission at the neuromuscular junction where acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter, but in certain situations the toxins interfere with neurotransmitters such as GABA, noradrenaline, adrenaline, dopamine, and γ-aminobutyrate. Of the toxins, α-toxins and κ-toxins (e.g., Chinese krait, Bungarus multicinctus) act on the postsynaptic membrane, blocking the receptors, whilst β-toxin (e.g., common krait, B. caeruleus) acts on the presynaptic membrane, causing impairment of acetylcholine release. Conversely, dendrotoxins of the African mamba enhance acetylcholine release. The toxins of scorpions and spiders commonly interfere with voltage-gated ion channels. Clinically, the cardinal manifestation is muscle paralysis. In severe cases respiratory paralysis could be fatal. Effective antivenoms are the mainstay of treatment of envenoming, but their lack of availability is the major concern in the regions of the globe where they are desperately needed. Interestingly, some toxins have proved to be valuable pharmaceutical agents, while some others are widely exploited to study neuromuscular physiology and pathology.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Why do we study animal toxins
TL;DR: The mission is to find out the right natural pairings and interactions of the authors' body elements with toxins, and with endogenous toxin-like molecules, and to propose the natural pairing hypothesis, which links toxins with humans.
Journal ArticleDOI
Snake venom toxins: toxicity and medicinal applications
TL;DR: Different non-enzymatically active snake venom toxins which have potential therapeutic properties such as antitumor, antimicrobial, anticoagulating, and analgesic activities will be discussed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Animal venoms as antimicrobial agents.
Ramar Perumal Samy,Bradley G. Stiles,Bradley G. Stiles,Octavio L. Franco,Octavio L. Franco,Gautam Sethi,Lina H. K. Lim +6 more
TL;DR: Interestingly, snake venom‐derived synthetic peptide/snake cathelicidin not only has potent antimicrobial and wound‐repair activity but is highly stable and safe, and such molecules are promising candidates for novel venom‐based drugs against S. aureus infections.
Journal ArticleDOI
Mitochondrial alarmins released by degenerating motor axon terminals activate perisynaptic Schwann cells
Elisa Duregotti,Samuele Negro,Michele Scorzeto,Irene Zornetta,Bryan C. Dickinson,Christopher J. Chang,Cesare Montecucco,Cesare Montecucco,Michela Rigoni +8 more
TL;DR: Using animal neurotoxins to induce an acute and reversible nerve degeneration, several mitochondrial molecules through which the damaged nerve terminal communicates with nearby cells are identified, activating signaling pathways in Schwann cells involved in nerve regeneration.
Book ChapterDOI
Neuromuscular junction disorders.
TL;DR: Acquired autoimmune disorders of the neuromuscular junction are the most common and are described here.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
The global burden of snakebite: a literature analysis and modelling based on regional estimates of envenoming and deaths.
Anuradhani Kasturiratne,A. Rajitha Wickremasinghe,Nilanthi de Silva,N. Kithsiri Gunawardena,Arunasalam Pathmeswaran,Ranjan Premaratna,Lorenzo Savioli,David G. Lalloo,H. Janaka de Silva +8 more
TL;DR: It is estimated that, globally, at least 421,000 envenomings and 20,000 deaths occur each year due to snakebite, with the highest burden exists in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.
Journal Article
Snake-bites: appraisal of the global situation.
TL;DR: The present article is an attempt to draw the attention of health authorities to snake envenomations and urges them to prepare therapeutic protocols adapted to their needs.
Journal ArticleDOI
Impact of snake bites and determinants of fatal outcomes in southeastern Nepal.
Sanjib Kumar Sharma,François Chappuis,Nilhambar Jha,Patrick A. Bovier,Louis Loutan,Shekhar Koirala +5 more
TL;DR: Characteristics of krait bites such as bites occurring inside the house, while resting, and between midnight and 6:00 am were all factors associated with an increased risk of death, as were an initial consultation with a traditional healer, a long delay before transport, and a lack of available transport.
Journal ArticleDOI
Alpha-bungarotoxin binding to hippocampal interneurons: immunocytochemical characterization and effects on growth factor expression
TL;DR: Alpha-BT-sensitive cholinergic receptors on inhibitory interneurons may be critical to medial septal regulation of the hippocampal activity, including the habituation of response to sensory input.