Citation

Dias-Lopes C, Felicori L, Guimarães G, Gomes ERM, Roman-Campos D, Duarte H, Damasceno D, Martins M, Kalapothakis E, Almeida AP, Granier C, Cruz JS, Guatimosim S, Chávez-Olórtegui C. Toxicon 2010; 56(8): 1426-1435.

Affiliation

Biochemistry Departament, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil; SysDiag, cnrs UMR 3145, Montpellier, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.toxicon.2010.08.008

PMID

20826175

Abstract

Loxosceles spider bites cause many human injuries worldwide. Injections in mice of whole Loxosceles (L.) intermedia venom or a recombinant toxin (rLiD1) produce systemic symptoms similar to those detected in envenomed humans. This animal model was used to characterize the effects of L. intermedia venom in cardiac tissues. L. intermedia antigens were detected by ELISA in kidney, heart, lung and liver of experimentally envenomed mice. In addition, rLiD1 binding to cardiomyocytes was demonstrated by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Furthermore, isolated perfused heart preparations and ventricular cardiomyocytes from envenomed mice showed heart function impairment, and a significant increase of I(Ca,L) density and intracellular Ca(2+) transients, respectively. Thus, L. intermedia spider venom, as shown through the use of the recombinant toxin rLiD1, causes cardiotoxic effects and a protein from the sphingomyelinase family plays a key role in heart dysfunction. Thus, L. intermedia spider venom and the Loxtox rLiD1 play a key role in heart dysfunction.

Language: en