%0 Journal Article
%T Neutralization of the neuromuscular activity of bothropstoxin-i, a myotoxin from Bothrops jararacussu snake venom, by a hydroalcoholic extract of Casearia sylvestris Sw. (gua£¿atonga)
%A Oshima-Franco
%A Y.
%A Alves
%A C. M. V.
%A Andr¨¦o Filho
%A N.
%A Gerenutti
%A M.
%A Cintra
%A A. C. O.
%A Leite
%A G. B.
%A Rodrigues-Simioni
%A L.
%A Silva
%A M. G.
%J Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases
%D 2005
%I Centro de Estudos de Venenos e Animais Pe?onhentos - CEVAP, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP
%R 10.1590/S1678-91992005000400007
%X numerous plants are used as snakebite antidotes in brazilian folk medicine, including casearia sylvestris swartz, popularly known as gua£¿atonga. in this study, we examined the action of a hydroalcoholic extract from c. sylvestris on the neuromuscular blockade caused by bothropstoxin-i (bthtx-i), a myotoxin from bothrops jararacussu venom, in mouse isolated phrenic nerve-diaphragm (pnd) preparations. aqueous (8 and 12 mg/ml, n=4 and 5, respectively) and hydroalcoholic (12 mg/ml, n=12) extracts of the leaves of c. sylvestris caused facilitation in pnd preparations followed by partial neuromuscular blockade. bthtx-i (20 ¦̀g/ml, n=4) caused 50% paralysis after 65¡À15 min (mean ¡À s.e.m). preincubation (30 min at 37¡ă c) of bthtx-i (20 ¦̀g/ml, n=4) with a concentration of the hydroalcoholic extract (4 mg/ml) that had no neuromuscular activity, such as the control (n=5), prevented the neuromuscular blockade caused by the toxin. this protection may be mediated by compounds such as flavonoids and phenols identified by thin-layer chromatography and colorimetric assays.
%K alternative medicine
%K phytotherapy
%K plant extracts
%K snakebite.
%U http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1678-91992005000400007&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en