Şule ÖZEL, MÜRŞİDE AYŞE DEMİREL, Nilüfer ERCAN, ÖZCAN ÖZKAN

The Effects of Androctonus crassicauda Venom on Pregnant Rats and Their Offprings

Incidents of scorpion stings are common in Turkey. These cases can cause severe envenomation and so represent an important public health problem. In Turkey, the most venomous species are Leiurus abdullahbayrami and Androctonus crassicauda. There has been no study on the effcts of A. crassicauda stings on pregnant rats. Consequently, we investigated the effcts of the scorpion venom on pregnant rats and their offpring. The supernatant of the A. crassicauda venom obtained after the venom extraction was dissolved in 7 mL of sterile saline before the experiment, in this way the injection volume was standardized as 1 mL/rat. Pregnant rats were randomly divided into two groups with six animals in each. A. crassicauda venom in 1 mL physiological saline solution (NaCl 0.9%) was subcutaneously injected in rats of the experimental group (EG), while sterile saline solution (1 mL) was subcutaneously administered to the rats of the control group (CG). All injections were applied to each group from the 7th to the 13 th days of pregnancy, which correspond to the critical organogenesis period. Based on these results, it was shown that the scorpion venom affects the body weight of pregnant rats, the weights of placental tissues and fetuses in the rat model during pregnancy. A. crassicauda venom can induce abortion and cause restrictions in placenta and fetal growth. Therefore, medical professionals should be informed about possible adverse effcts and risks in pregnancy.

Androctonus crassicauda Zehirinin Gebe Sıçanlar ve Yavruları Üzerine Etkileri

Akrep sokması vakaları Türkiye’de yaygın olarak görülmektedir. Bu olgular ciddi zehirlenmeye neden olarak önemli bir halk sağlığı sorununu oluşturur. Türkiye’de en zehirli akrep türlerinin Leiurus abdullahbayrami ve Androctonus crassicauda olduğu bilinir. A. crassicauda sokmalarının gebeler üzerindeki etkileri konusunda bir çalışma yapılmamıştır. Bu nedenle, akrep zehirinin gebe sıçanlar ve yavruları üzerindeki etkilerini araştırdık. Zehir ekstraksiyonundan sonra elde edilen A. crassicauda zehrinin süpernatanı, deneyden önce 7 mL fizyolojik tuzlu su (%0.9 NaCl) içinde eritildi, bu şekilde enjeksiyon hacmi, 1 mL/sıçan olarak standart hale getirildi. Gebe sıçanlar rastgele olarak her birinde altı hayvan bulunan iki gruba ayrıldı. 1 mL A. crassicauda zehiri, deney grubundaki sıçanlara (EG) subkutan olarak uygulanırken, kontrol grubundaki sıçanlara (CG) steril serum fizyolojik çözeltisi (1 mL) subkutan yolla verildi. Tüm enjeksiyonlar kritik organogenezis dönemine karşılık gelen gebeliğin 7. gününden 13. gününe kadar uygulandı. Bu sonuçlara dayanarak, akrep zehirinin gebelik sırasında sıçan modelinde gebe sıçanların vücut ağırlığını, plasental dokuların ve fetüslerin ağırlığını etkilediği gösterilmiştir. A. crassicauda zehri abortu uyarabilir, plasenta ve fetal büyüme geriliğine neden olabilir. Bu nedenle, tıp uzmanları gebelikte olası olumsuz etkiler ve riskler hakkında bilgilendirilmelidir.

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