HISTOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MYOTOXICITY OF MICRURUS SPIXII (AMAZONIAN CORAL SNAKE) VENOM IN CHICK BIVENTER CERVICIS MUSCLE AND ITS NEUTRALIZATION BY ANTIELAPIDIC SERUM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/arev8n2-068Keywords:
Biventer cervicis, Elapid Antiserum, Light Microscopy, Micrurus spixii, Snake VenomAbstract
Coral snake (Micrurus spp.) venoms are neurotoxic and myotoxic. Light microscopy was used to assess the myotoxicity of Micrurus spixii venom and the potential for antielapidic serum to neutralize cellular damage. Chick biventer cervicis muscle preparations, indirectly stimulated for 2 h, were exposed to (n=3 each) Krebs nutrient solution (negative control), venom (10 µg/mL), and pre-incubation (30 min, 37 °C) of venom (10 µg/mL) with 0.03 mL of antielapidic serum. Muscles fixed in 10% formalin and maintained in 70% alcohol were processed and paraffin-embedded for histological analysis. 4 µm sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and analyzed in a double-blind manner to verify the presence of edema, vacuoles, myofibril condensation, and ghost cells. Incubation with venom drastically reduced the proportion of healthy cells, from 66.0±0.1% in the control group to 0.92±0.08% in the venom group (p<0.05). Pre-incubation of the venom with antielapidic serum partially protected against this reduction (4.8±0.42% healthy cells; p<0.05 compared to venom). The venom increased the proportion of cells with edema, myofibril condensation, and ghost cells, and doubled the proportion of vacuolated cells. These alterations were reduced to varying degrees after pre-incubation with antielapidic serum. The results show that the venom caused histomorphological changes in biventer cervicis muscle and that antielapidic serum significantly protected, at different levels, against cellular damage at the tested antielapidic serum:venom ratio.
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