Rabbit antivenom efficacy against myotoxic and neurotoxic activities of Bothrops jararacussu venom and bothropstoxin-I

bothrops jararacussu venom and its major toxin bothropstoxin-i (bthtx-i) possess myotoxic and neurotoxic properties. the efficacy of a rabbit antivenom raised against b. jararacussu venom in the neutralization of physiological, biochemical, and morphological changes induced by the venom and its major toxin bthtx-i was studied in mouse isolated phrenic nerve-diaphragm (pnd) and extensor digitorum longus (edl) preparations. the times required for 50% neuromuscular blockade in pnd and edl preparations for venom were 70+11.5 (s.e.m., n=5) min and 58+8 (n=16) (50 m g/ml), and for bthtx-i 31+6 (n=3) min and 30+3 (n=5) min (20 m g/ml), respectively. after 120 min incubation, creatine kinase (ck) concentrations in solution containing the edl preparations were 3464+346 u/l after exposure to venom (50 m g/ml, n=5) and 3422+135 u/l to bthtx-i (20m g/ml, n=4), respectively. rabbit antivenom dose-dependently neutralized venom and toxin-induced neuromuscular blockade in both preparations and effectively prevented venom and toxin-induced ck release from edl. histological analysis showed that rabbit antivenom neutralized morphological damage caused by b. jararacussu venom and bthtx-i in edl preparations. these results indicate that rabbit antivenom effectively neutralized the biological activities of b. jararacussu venom and bthtx-i.