Role of Neostigmine in Neurotoxic Snake Bite

Snake bite is a major health concern in India. Common krait is one of the most dangerous and poisonous neurotoxic snakes. Snake bite is a medical emergency. India has the highest snake bite death rate in the world.1 Elapidae, viperidae, pit viper and hydrophiidae are the main poisonous snake families in India. Elapidae family includes common cobra, king cobra and common krait.2 Common Indian krait is about 10 times more poisonous than cobra. Snake toxins are neurotoxic or haematotoxic. Krait is neurotoxic, which interrupts neuromuscular transmission of impulse and causes paralysis of muscles. Neostigmine which is an anticholinesterase can reverse the neurological manifestations of the venom.3 Treatment of neurotoxic snake bite includes administration of anti-snake venom, neostigmine with atropine and invasive ventilation if there is respiratory muscle weakness or paralysis. Maximum dose of neostigmine to reverse neuromuscular blockade is 10 mg over 24 hours. 4 Here we report a case of a 60-years-old male who presented with a snake bite followed by respiratory distress and bilateral ptosis. The patient was treated as per standard protocol. However, his ptosis did not improve as per expectations. Hence, neostigmine was given for prolonged period to revert ptosis in neurotoxic snake bite. In this case study we are discussing about maximum dose of neostigmine given to revert ptosis in a neurotoxic snake bite, as their no case report regarding it.

Biochemists' bliss: harnessing the power of snake toxins to treat cardiovascular diseases

Deadly snake venom can be turned into life-saving therapeutics. Currently, several medicinal agents approved by the US Food and Drug Administration originated from snake venom. These include captopril, used to treat high blood pressure, as well as eptifibatide and tirofiban, used as bloodthinning agents to prevent thrombosis (clotting of blood in the circulation). Many other snake venom toxins have also been made into reagents that help to diagnose different kinds of blood disorders. Here, we discuss the molecular basis of how snake venom affects components in blood to unveil secrets behind the deadly weapon that can be harnessed for its power of healing.

Climate Change Effects on Venomous Snakes

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the evidence of a relationship between climatic changes and snake species distribution in relation with the snakebites risk increment against human populations. The global climatic change is a key factor leading to snake species behavioral changes mainly because of the rise of temperature. The variety of venomous snakes and their related potency toward human being have been well documented. Thus, this may serve as a basic knowledge for any preventive act in the face of snake toxins and their caused physiopathological and clinical effects. In addition, several studies have shown that global warming have caused a change in snake habitat and distribution, thus leading to an increase of overlapped human and snake populations living territories which raise up the risk of envenomation. Globally, more than 20,000 deaths occur every year with a high tendency to increase. Thus, consideration of human risk of envenomation may be fundamental to the effective intervention in epidemiological and clinical scales.

Natural Snake Venom Inhibitors and their Pharmaceutical Uses: Challenges and Possibilities

Nowadays, treatment with specific antivenins is considered the only cure for snakebites accidents. However, access to antivenom obstructs the successful implementation of the World Health Organization international guidelines. In the last few years, natural organic compounds, peptides, and proteins with the ability to inhibit snake toxins and obtained from different sources such as plant extracts and animal blood have been proposed as antivenoms. In this work, we will focus on the inhibitors of the main venom toxins, phospholipases A2 and metalloproteinases, and their application as novel antivenoms.