Buthus lienhardi venom and pathophysiological effects at the histological, hematological, biochemical and motor...

The present study investigated the toxic effects of B. lienhardi venom, at the histological, hematological, biochemical and motor skill levels following a subcutaneous injection of different doses of venom. The LD50 of B. lienhardi scorpion venom was found to be 0.27 mg/Kg by subcutaneous injection route. The results clearly indicate that B. lienhardi venom induces massive tissue damages in the organs, such as lungs, heart, kidneys and liver together with hematological impairments manifested by decreased levels of both red and white series. We further demonstrated that scorpion venom is able to alter motor system by inducing motor incoordination and reducing muscle strength. The overall results confirm that the venom from B. lienhardi primarily is a highly toxic agent and has cardiotoxic, nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic and pneumotoxic activity.