Experimental Cardiac Toxicity Induced by the Injection of Uracoan Rattlesnake (Crotalus vegrandis) and the Black Rattlesnake (Crotalus pifanorum) Venoms
Authors:   Laboratorio de Fisiología Renal y Cardiovascular, Centro de Biofísica y Bioquímica, Caracas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Colombet Diana , Rivas-Calero Roger ,   Universidad Centroccidental “Lisandro Alvarado”, Facultad de Medicina, Unidad de Biología Celular, Barquisimeto, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Salcedo Leiser ,   Universidad Centroccidental “Lisandro Alvarado”, Facultad de Medicina, Unidad de Biología Celular, Barquisimeto, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Riera Manuel ,   Universidad Centroccidental “Lisandro Alvarado”, Facultad de Medicina, Unidad de Biología Celular, Barquisimeto, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Mogollón Alexander ,   Universidad Centroccidental “Lisandro Alvarado”, Unidad de Toxicología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria, Barquisimeto, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Mendoza José ,   Universidad Centroccidental “Lisandro Alvarado”, Unidad de Toxicología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria, Barquisimeto, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Rodríguez-Acosta Alexis ,   Laboratory of Immunochemistry and Ultrastructure, Anatomical Institute, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Rodríguez-Angulo Héctor ,   Laboratorio de Fisiología Renal y Cardiovascular, Centro de Biofísica y Bioquímica, Caracas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Laboratory of Immunochemistry and Ultrastructure, Anatomical Institute, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Published: January 2023

Background Snakebite is a collective health problem that afflicts areas with poor healthcare coverage. Venezuela has an important population of snakes, including the endemic species Crotalus vegrandis and Crotalus pifanorum, whose venom has not been fully characterized, especially of those aspects related to cardiac electrophysiology. Aims In this sense, this work aims to characterize the electrocardiographic and histopathological effect of crude venom of C. vegrandis and C. pifanorum on albino Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice. Results For this, mice were gathered in C. pifanorum and C. vegrandis experimental groups, including normal controls and envenomed mice injected with commercial antivenom. C. vegrandis venom showed a significant T and S wave flattening and pulmonic (pulmonary) regurgitation (PR) enlargement, in addition to atrial ectopic activity, notched R wave, triggered activity, and T wave inversion. C. pifanorum was the only group that registered triggered activity. Antivenom was able to revert conduction disorders showing a statistical increase in arrhythmogenic compared by χ2 . The multidimensional comparison confirmed the statistical differences between C. vegrandis and C. pifanorum venoms and between antivenom vs non-antivenom groups, detecting variables associated with cardiac conduction, as the most important variables. Conclusion In conclusion, this work demonstrated, as far as we know, for the first time the cardiotoxic effects associated with C. vegrandis and C. pifanorum venom injection, subsequently suggesting the duty of including an electrocardiogram in the consultation of any accident caused by these species.