Experimental Evaluation of the Pulmonary Edema Induced by the Venom of the Scorpion Tityus Asthenes in Rats

Abstract

The species Tityus asthenes has been responsible for scorpion sting deaths in Panama. Pulmonary edema is one of the main causes of death registered by scorpionism. In the present work, we determined the capacity of the venom of the scorpion Tityus asthenes to induce pulmonary edema in rats. The ability of T. asthenes venom to induce acute pulmonary edema in rats was determined using four approaches: (1) the difference in wet weight using the lung index between treated and untreated lungs; (2) histological analysis;(3) changes in pulmonary vascular permeability; and (4) total leukocyte count obtained from bronchoalveolar lavage. We found that histological sections of venom-treated lungs showed moderate pulmonary edema, and an increase in total leukocyte count compared to control samples. However, the pulmonary index and the vascular permeability of venom-treated lungs were similar to those of control samples. We conclude that the venom of T. asthenes scorpions can induce moderate pulmonary edema in rats. The experimental model was validated for future studies on the pathophysiology of pulmonary edema caused by the venom of scorpions of the genus Tityus in Panama.