IN VITRO PHARMACOLOGICAL STUDY UPON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AVAILABLE ANTIVENOM AGAINST HEMISCORPIUS LEPTURUS VENOM

The available Razi Institute antivenom is still, empirically, used by intramuscular (IM) or intravenous (IV) administration for the treatment of human scorpion envenoming by 6 medically dangerous scorpion species including Hemiscorpius lepturus (H.lepturus). The aim of this study was to assess the neutralizing ability of the antivenom upon the hemolysis effects of the venom from H. lepturus under in vitro conditions in rat. In vitro studies were including evaluation of hemolysis potency of the venom on rat washed RBC, assessment of antihemolytic potency of antivenom on rat washed RBC suspension and time profile of antihemolytic effectiveness of antivenom on treated rat washed RBC with venom, respectively. The in vitro results showed that the antivenom (at 10µl/ml of rat washed RBC suspension) reduced the concentration-dependent hemolysis of 1% rat washed RBC produced by venom from 71 to 43 % after 24 hours of incubation. Time profile of in vitro antihemolytic effectiveness of 10 µl available antivenom against hemolysis produced by 10µg of venom was dependent on the duration of incubation.  In conclusion the findings of this study on animal model demonstrate that in vitro results were not correlated well with clinical findings in human