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Recent studies on toxins from various Elapidae venoms
268
Meeting: Application of Venoms to Medicine and Biology
these can be affected under different conditions . The application of these basic data to clinical medicine has not yet been realized but the potential is considerable. On the clinical or applied side, the discovery of certain anticoagulants, Reptilase, Coagulase and Arvin, as well as new analgesics, Cobroxin, Anoxin and others, give evidence of the potential of animal venom fractions as important drugs in the treatment of a variety of diseases . This paper will concern itself with some of the disease states in which venoms have been tried or are being employed, and to their uses as tools in biology. Diseases of the nervous system. Intracranial hemorrhage, occlusive cerebrovascular disease (stroke), epilepsy, headache (including migraine), multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, neuritis, neuralgia, paralysis agitans, Parkinson's disease, poliomelitis, spastic paralysis and psychoses. Diseases of the blood. Defects in coagulations, hemophilia, thrombocytopenia purpura and in hemorrhages of undetermined origin in dentistry, obstetrics, oral surgery, neurosurgery and eye surgery, and in various hemolytic diseases. Diseases of the musculoskeletalsystem. Arthritis, rheumatism and sciatica . Viral and infectious diseases. Herpes simplex, Herpes zoster, tetanus, rabies, hepatitis, kala-azar, scarlet fever, blackwater fever, conjunctivitis and botulism . Miscellaneous disorders. Cancer and nonmalignant tumors, dermatotoses including trophic ulcers, gangrene, optic diseases including cataracts, allergy, diabetes, lymphadenopathy of undetermined origin, radiation injuries, and abortion . Uses in diagnosis. Tuberculosis, syphilis, bleeding and clotting times, clot retraction time, pregnancy, platelet diseases, blood chemistry, cancer, psychoses, prothrombin time, pain threshold, capillary fragility, thrombocytopenia and hemolysis. Biological phenomena. Membrane phenomena, nerve conduction, neuromuscular transmission, metabolism, fibrillation, hypotension, hypertension, shock, trauma, pain, grangene, hemorrhage, ultrastructure, RNA, DNA, enzymic hydrolysis, visual purple, mitochondria, surface film, desulfuration, oxidation viruses, X-ray microscopy, permeability phenomena, energy metabolism, and glucose-calcium-sodium transport.
SOME POSSIBLE USES OF
LATRODECTUS VENOM IN MEDICINE Z. MAREri9C
Pula Medical Center, Yugoslavia Spiders of the genus Latrodectus have an almost world-wide distribution and their bites have been known in Europe since very early times. They are considered the most dangerous of all the spiders. The venom of this spider has been tried in a variety of diseases but, at present, its most important uses are in the study of membrane phenomena and nerve impulses. Unlike snake venoms, it has not yet been fractionated to the extent where its various fractions can be tried in medicine, but like snake venoms it has a potential in therapeutics. The present report deals with the history of latrodectism in Europe and the use of the spider and its venoms in folklore and the practice of medicine .
RECENT STUDIES ON TOXINS FROM VARIOUS
ELAPIDAE VENOMS
D. MEers Zentrum der Rechtsmedizin, University of Frankfurt a.M ., Germany Toxic polypeptides have been isolated from the Australian Elapidae snake venoms of Pseudechis porphyriacus, Austrelaps superba, Acanthophis antarcticus, and Oxyuranus scutellatus. The ipharmacological properties were studied by Drs. Lee and Chen from Taiwan National University in Taipei . The first three venoms contained post-synaptically acting neurotoxins exclusively and did not possess cardiotoxic properties affecting the muscle membrane directly . From taipan venom, Oxyuranus scutellatus, a basicpost-synaptically acting toxin has been isolated and a fraction corresponding to 'taipoxin' (EmcER, Toxicon 13, 90, 1975), which has pre-synaptic activity. All lethal fractions had phospholipase A activity of some degree. The fraction having the highest activity had the lowest Lo go and neuromuscular blocking activity .
Meeting: Application of Venoms to Medicine and Biology
these can be affected under different conditions . The application of these basic data to clinical medicine has not yet been realized but the potential is considerable. On the clinical or applied side, the discovery of certain anticoagulants, Reptilase, Coagulase and Arvin, as well as new analgesics, Cobroxin, Anoxin and others, give evidence of the potential of animal venom fractions as important drugs in the treatment of a variety of diseases . This paper will concern itself with some of the disease states in which venoms have been tried or are being employed, and to their uses as tools in biology. Diseases of the nervous system. Intracranial hemorrhage, occlusive cerebrovascular disease (stroke), epilepsy, headache (including migraine), multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, neuritis, neuralgia, paralysis agitans, Parkinson's disease, poliomelitis, spastic paralysis and psychoses. Diseases of the blood. Defects in coagulations, hemophilia, thrombocytopenia purpura and in hemorrhages of undetermined origin in dentistry, obstetrics, oral surgery, neurosurgery and eye surgery, and in various hemolytic diseases. Diseases of the musculoskeletalsystem. Arthritis, rheumatism and sciatica . Viral and infectious diseases. Herpes simplex, Herpes zoster, tetanus, rabies, hepatitis, kala-azar, scarlet fever, blackwater fever, conjunctivitis and botulism . Miscellaneous disorders. Cancer and nonmalignant tumors, dermatotoses including trophic ulcers, gangrene, optic diseases including cataracts, allergy, diabetes, lymphadenopathy of undetermined origin, radiation injuries, and abortion . Uses in diagnosis. Tuberculosis, syphilis, bleeding and clotting times, clot retraction time, pregnancy, platelet diseases, blood chemistry, cancer, psychoses, prothrombin time, pain threshold, capillary fragility, thrombocytopenia and hemolysis. Biological phenomena. Membrane phenomena, nerve conduction, neuromuscular transmission, metabolism, fibrillation, hypotension, hypertension, shock, trauma, pain, grangene, hemorrhage, ultrastructure, RNA, DNA, enzymic hydrolysis, visual purple, mitochondria, surface film, desulfuration, oxidation viruses, X-ray microscopy, permeability phenomena, energy metabolism, and glucose-calcium-sodium transport.
SOME POSSIBLE USES OF
LATRODECTUS VENOM IN MEDICINE Z. MAREri9C
Pula Medical Center, Yugoslavia Spiders of the genus Latrodectus have an almost world-wide distribution and their bites have been known in Europe since very early times. They are considered the most dangerous of all the spiders. The venom of this spider has been tried in a variety of diseases but, at present, its most important uses are in the study of membrane phenomena and nerve impulses. Unlike snake venoms, it has not yet been fractionated to the extent where its various fractions can be tried in medicine, but like snake venoms it has a potential in therapeutics. The present report deals with the history of latrodectism in Europe and the use of the spider and its venoms in folklore and the practice of medicine .
RECENT STUDIES ON TOXINS FROM VARIOUS
ELAPIDAE VENOMS
D. MEers Zentrum der Rechtsmedizin, University of Frankfurt a.M ., Germany Toxic polypeptides have been isolated from the Australian Elapidae snake venoms of Pseudechis porphyriacus, Austrelaps superba, Acanthophis antarcticus, and Oxyuranus scutellatus. The ipharmacological properties were studied by Drs. Lee and Chen from Taiwan National University in Taipei . The first three venoms contained post-synaptically acting neurotoxins exclusively and did not possess cardiotoxic properties affecting the muscle membrane directly . From taipan venom, Oxyuranus scutellatus, a basicpost-synaptically acting toxin has been isolated and a fraction corresponding to 'taipoxin' (EmcER, Toxicon 13, 90, 1975), which has pre-synaptic activity. All lethal fractions had phospholipase A activity of some degree. The fraction having the highest activity had the lowest Lo go and neuromuscular blocking activity .