Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences PAPER Cite this: Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2013, 12, 1895 Received 3rd February 2013, Accepted 1st August 2013 DOI: 10.1039/c3pp50036e www.rsc.org/pps Effects of a low-level semiconductor gallium arsenide laser on local pathological alterations induced by Bothrops moojeni snake venom Elziliam Aranha de Sousa, a José Adolfo Homobono Machado Bittencourt, a Nayana Keyla Seabra de Oliveira, a Shayanne Vanessa Correia Henriques, a Leide Caroline dos Santos Picanço, a Camila Pena Lobato, a José Renato Ribeiro, b Washington Luiz Assunção Pereira, c José Carlos Tavares Carvalho d and Jocivânia Oliveira da Silva* a Antivenom therapy has been ineffective in neutralizing the tissue damage caused by snakebites. Among therapeutic strategies to minimize effects after envenoming, it was hypothesized that a low level laser would reduce complications and reduce the severity of local snake venom effects. In the current study, the effect of a low-level semiconductor gallium arsenide (GaAs) laser on the local pathological alterations induced by B. moojeni snake venom was investigated. The experimental groups consisted of five male mice, each administered either B. moojeni venom (VB), B. moojeni venom + antivenom (VAV), B. moojeni venom + laser (VL), B. moojeni venom + antivenom + laser (VAVL), or sterile saline solution (SSS) alone. Paw oedema was induced by intradermal administration of 0.05 mg kg -1 of B. moojeni venom and was expressed in mm of directly induced oedema. Mice received by subcutaneous route 0.20 mg kg -1 of venom for evaluating nociceptive activity and the time (in seconds) spent in licking and biting the injected paw was taken as an indicator of pain response. Inflammatory infiltration was determined by count- ing the number of leukocytes present in the gastrocnemius muscle after venom injection (0.10 mg kg -1 ). For histological examination of myonecrosis, venom (0.10 mg kg -1 ) was administered intramuscu- larly. The site of venom injection was irradiated by the GaAs laserand some animals received antivenom intraperitoneally. The results indicated that GaAs laser irradiation can help in reducing some local effects produced by the B. moojeni venom in mice, stimulating phagocytosis, proliferation of myoblasts and the regeneration of muscle fibers. 1. Introduction Accidents caused by snakebites are a serious public health problem, especially in tropical countries, due to the high rates of morbidity and mortality. 1,2 The snakes of the Bothrops genus are responsible for approximately 90% of all snakebites in Brazil. 3–5 The Bothrops venom causes local effects, such as pain, oedema, haemorrhage, myonecrosis and leukocyte infiltration, and systemic effects, such as coagulopathy, cardiovascular and renal changes, systemic bleeding, hypotension and shock, 6,7 through its proteolytic, coagulant and haemorrhagic activi- ties. 6,8 The inflammatory process is one of the most important events occurring in poisoning caused by Bothrops snakebites. Inflammation represents a basic mechanism that occurs in various pathological disorders, and it involves complex inter- actions between inflammatory cells, such as neutrophils, lym- phocytes, monocytes and macrophages, and vascular cells, such as endothelial and smooth muscle cells. 9 Bothrops moojeni is an abundant venomous snake res- ponsible for most of the snakebite cases in the central region of Brazil. 10 Various components of its venom, such as protease A moojeni (metalloproteinase), BM-PLA2 ( phospholipase acid), batroxobin (clotting enzyme), MOO3 ( protease), 3 BmooMPα-I (non-haemorrhagic metalloproteinase), and a Toxicology Laboratory, Pharmaceutical Science Course, Federal University of Amapá, Macapa, AP, Brazil. E-mail: jocivania@unifap.br, elziliam@ibest.com.br, adolfo_bittencourt@yahoo.com.br, nayanaseabra@yahoo.com.br, shayanne_henriques@hotmail.com, leide-caroline@hotmail.com, camilalobato2011@hotmail.com, jocivania@unifap.br b Zoonosis Service, Secretary of Health, Macapa, AP, Brazil. E-mail: quiro273@yahoo.com.br c Animal Pathology Laboratory, Federal Rural University of Amazonia, Belém, PA, Brazil. E-mail: wkarton@terra.com.br d Drugs Laboratory, Pharmaceutical Science Course, Federal, University of Amapá, Macapa, AP, Brazil. E-mail: farmacos@unifap.br This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry and Owner Societies 2013 Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2013, 12, 1895–1902 | 1895 Published on 06 August 2013. Downloaded by Universidade Federal do Amapa on 29/12/2013 20:54:04. View Article Online View Journal | View Issue