Biology, venom composition, and scorpionism induced by brazilian scorpion Tityus stigmurus (Thorell, 1876) (Scorpiones: Buthidae): A mini-review

Scorpionism is a serious public health problem in various regions of the world. In Brazil, a high number of accidents by scorpions have been reported. From 2014 to 2018, about 547,000 cases were recorded, resulting in 466 deaths. The scorpion Tityus stigmurus is the predominant species in the northe...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Toxicon (Oxford) 2020-10, Vol.185, p.36-45
Main Authors: Furtado, Allanny Alves, Daniele-Silva, Alessandra, Silva-Júnior, Arnóbio Antônio da, Fernandes-Pedrosa, Matheus de Freitas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antimicrobial peptide
Buthidae
Neurotoxic peptide
Scorpion
Scorpionism
Tityus stigmurus, scorpion venom
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Scorpionism is a serious public health problem in various regions of the world. In Brazil, a high number of accidents by scorpions have been reported. From 2014 to 2018, about 547,000 cases were recorded, resulting in 466 deaths. The scorpion Tityus stigmurus is the predominant species in the northeast of Brazil, being responsible for most scorpionism cases in this region. With the aid of the transcriptomic approach of the venom gland of this species, components as neurotoxins, antimicrobials, metal chelating peptides and hypotensins, have been identified and characterized in silico, showing different biologic activity in vitro. In addition, the neuronal, pancreatic, renal, and enzymatic effects have been demonstrated for the crude T. stigmurus venom. Therefore, the T. stigmurus scorpion venom constitutes a rich arsenal of bioactive molecules with high potential for therapeutic and biotechnological application. •T. stigmurus is the major cause of accidents in northeastern Brazil.•The venom is one of the most lethal for mices among Brazilian species.•The venom causes neuronal, pancreatic, renal damage, and has enzymatic properties.•The venom has neurotoxic, antimicrobial, hypotensive and metal chelating molecules.•Components of the venom have evident biotechnological and therapeutic potential.
ISSN:0041-0101
1879-3150
DOI:10.1016/j.toxicon.2020.06.015