Behavioral, Electroencephalographic, and Histopathologic Effects of a Neuropeptide Isolated From Tityus serrulatus Scorpion Venom in Rats

• Published in: Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior Vol. 60; no. 1; pp. 7 - 14
• Main Authors: Carvalho, Fátima F, Nencioni, Ana Leonor A, Lebrun, Ivo, Sandoval, Maria Regina L, Dorce, Valquiria A.C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.05.1998; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animal poisons toxicology. Antivenoms; Animals; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - drug effects; Brain - pathology; Brain - physiopathology; Buthidae; Cerebral Cortex - drug effects; Cerebral Cortex - pathology; Cerebral Cortex - physiopathology; Electroencephalography; Hippocampus - drug effects; Hippocampus - pathology; Hippocampus - physiopathology; Male; Medical sciences; Molecular Sequence Data; Nerve Degeneration - chemically induced; Nerve Degeneration - pathology; Neurodegeneration; Neuropeptides - chemistry; Neuropeptides - isolation & purification; Neuropeptides - toxicity; Neurotoxin; Neurotoxins - chemistry; Neurotoxins - isolation & purification; Neurotoxins - toxicity; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Scorpion; Scorpion Venoms - chemistry; Scorpion Venoms - toxicity; Scorpiones; Seizure; Seizures - chemically induced; Tityus serrulatus; Toxicology; Seizure; Scorpion; Neurodegeneration; Neurotoxin; Scorpionides; Nervous system diseases; Rat; Toxicity; Epilepsy; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Animal origin; Electroencephalography; Neuropeptide; Cerebral disorder; Arachnida; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Arthropoda; Animal; Venom; Central nervous system disease; Invertebrata; Scorpionidae; Hippocampus; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0091-3057; 1873-5177
• DOI: 10.1016/S0091-3057(97)00407-3

The effects of intrahippocampal administration of a neuropeptide (TS-8F toxin) isolated from Tityus serrulatus scorpion venom have been determined on behavior, limbic seizures, and neuronal degeneration in rats. Behavioral observation showed orofacial automatism, wet dog shakes, and myoclonus. Concomitantly, the electroencephalographic record showed high-frequency and high-voltage spikes that evolved to seizure activity in the hippocampus and cortex. Seven days after TS-8F toxin microinjection, neuronal damage was observed in CA1 and CA2 pyramidal cells and in granular cells of the dentate gyrus. The results suggest that TS-8F toxin may be responsible, at least in part, by the epileptic effects observed with the crude venom. Thus, this toxin may be a useful tool in the study of some neurobiological process.