Behavioral and neurochemical effects of intraperitoneally injected dendrotoxin

Intraperitoneal administration of dendrotoxin, a polypeptide isolated from Dendroaspis angusticeps venom, provoked in mice the appearance of a complex stereotyped behavior including biting, head nodding, 'wet-dog' shakes and rearing. Signs of autonomic hyperactivity as well as hyperreactivity to sound and touch were prominent. Neurochemical analyses of monoamines and monoamine metabolites showed no change 90 min after dendrotoxin, with a decrease in dopamine concentrations and an increase in their metabolites in the striatum starting 3 hr later. Moreover, at this time, dendrotoxin also produced a significant increase of 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolites. These data are interpreted as indicating that dendrotoxin crosses the blood-brain barrier and provokes an increase of the activity at monoaminergic terminals.