Malnutrition alters the cardiovascular responses induced by central injection of tityustoxin in Fischer rats.

Silva, Fernanda Cacilda dos Santos; Guidine, Patrícia Alves Maia; Ribeiro, Mara Fernandes; Fernandes, Luciano Gonçalves; Xavier, Carlos Henrique; Menezes, Rodrigo Cunha Alvim de; Silva, Marcelo Eustáquio; Santos, Tasso Moraes; Moraes, Márcio Flávio Dutra; Chianca Júnior, Deoclécio Alves

Malnutrition alters the cardiovascular responses induced by central injection of tityustoxin in Fischer rats.

Date

2013

Authors

Silva, Fernanda Cacilda dos Santos

Guidine, Patrícia Alves Maia

Ribeiro, Mara Fernandes

Fernandes, Luciano Gonçalves

Xavier, Carlos Henrique

Menezes, Rodrigo Cunha Alvim de

Silva, Marcelo Eustáquio

Santos, Tasso Moraes

Moraes, Márcio Flávio Dutra

Chianca Júnior, Deoclécio Alves

Abstract

Scorpion envenoming and malnutrition are considered two important public health problems in Brazil, involving mainly children. Both these conditions are more common among the economically stratified lower income portion of the population, thus suggesting that these factors should be analyzed concomitantly. It is known that cardiorespiratory manifestations, as cardiac arrhythmias, arterial hypertension and hypotension, pulmonary edema and circulatory failure are the main “causa mortis” of scorpion envenomation. Additionally, there are evidences in the literature that deficiencies in dietary intake endanger the CNS and modify the cardiovascular homeostasis. Then, the objective of this work is to evaluate the protein malnourished effect on cardiovascular responses induced by tityustoxin (TsTX, an a-type toxin extracted from the Tityus serrulatus scorpion venom). Fischer rats (n ¼ 20) were injected i.c.v. with TsTX and divided in control and malnorished groups, which were, respectively, submitted to a control and a low-protein diet. Arterial pressure recordings were done until death of the animals. Although both groups presented an increased mean arterial pressure after TsTX injection, this increase was smaller and delayed in malnourished rats, when compared to control rats. In addition, heart rate increased only in rats from the control group. Finally, malnourished rats had an increase in survival time (9:9/13.5

Keywords

Scorpion envenomation

Citation

SILVA, F. C. S. dos et al. Malnutrition alters the cardiovascular responses induced by central injection of tityustoxin in Fischer rats. Toxicon, v. 76, p. 343-349, 2013. Disponível em: <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041010113003656>. Acesso em: 19 fev. 2017.