Kidney structural and ultrastructural pathological changes induced by uracoan rattlesnake (Crotalus vegrandis Klauber...

Acute renal insufficiency related to acute tubular necrosis is the most important complication caused by crotalid bite. For structural and ultrastructural studies of renal tissue, mice injected with crude venom or C. vegrandis haemorrhagic fraction, and controls were tested. Light microscopy analysis of kidneys at 24 h after injection of crude venom showed only moderate alterations such as tubular epithelia microvacuolisation. After 120 h marked glomerular and tubular capillaries congestion and interstitial oedema were observed. At 24 h after Uracoina-1 i.p. injection, intense glomerular and peritubular capillaries congestion was observed. Electron microscopic analysis of kidneys 24 h after i.p. injection of crude venom showed, capillary endothelial cell debris and pleomorphic mitochondria. Loss of interdigitations regularity, abundant dense bodies and light widening of the basal membrane were observed. Autophagic vacuoles were present as well as endothelia unfolding to the lumen and altered forms of podocytes. At 48 h, augmented endothelia without fenestrae formation with sequestration of low optical density debris inside the protrusions were noticed. At 120 h, capillary residues with loss of the endothelium were present and the basal membrane was widened. At 15 days, the number of vesicles and vacuoles in the tubules was increased and only few interdigitations were noticed. Autophagic vacuoles and mitochondrial matrix low electron density were observed. At 120 h after injection of crude venom, vascular damage with loss of capillary cell structures and collagen fibres were observed. At 24 h of haemorrhagic fraction injection, presence of autophagic vacuoles and myelinic figures were noticed.