Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology 61 (2009) 573–580 Some biological effects of scorpion envenomation in late pregnant rats Hmed Ben Nasr a,Ã , Hammami Serria a , Selma Chaker a , Badraoui Riadh b , Sahnoun Zouheir a , Jamoussi Kamel c , Rebai Tarek b , Zeghal Khaled a a Laboratory of Pharmacology, University of Sfax, School of Medicine of Sfax, 3029 Sfax, Tunisia b Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, University of Sfax, School of Medicine of Sfax, 3029 Sfax, Tunisia c Laboratory of Biochemistry, University of Sfax, School of Medicine of Sfax, 3029 Sfax, Tunisia Received 22 March 2008; accepted 8 December 2008 Abstract Scorpion envenoming is less studied during gestation; however, it may induce various biological disturbances in maternal organism and hypothetical ones on their fetuses. The scope of this report was to elucidate some biological effects of such poisoning in late pregnant rats. Hence, TBARS levels in maternal lung, placental and fetal pulmonary and hepatic tissues and dam’s biochemical blood parameters (glucose, creatinine, 17-b estradiol, progesterone, blood nitrogen urea, sodium and potassium maternal plasma concentrations) had been evaluated after saline (G1), and scorpion venom (G2: 30 min and G3: 60 min) injections in 22nd day pregnant rats. Histological microscopic examination of these tissues was also carried out in HE-stained paraffin sections. In addition, the mean arterial blood pressure following the envenomation variations was measured in three rats from the same pool. Our results showed that Buthus occitanus tunetanus crude venom induced significant increase in maternal, placental and fetal tissues lipid peroxidation, concomitant with blood pressure elevation. Maternal plasma creatinine, estradiol and progesterone concentrations levelled up significantly after 30 min or later (60 min) after the venom injection. Except for a probable pronounced oedema and few congestions in maternal lungs and degenerative aspects of trophoblast cells, all examined tissues showed a conserved structure. These results suggest that scorpion envenomation may induce gestation process disturbances and threatens both mother’s and fetus’ well-being. r 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. Keywords: Scorpion envenomation; Pregnancy; Rat; Haemodynamic; Biochemical disturbances Introduction Throughout the course of gestation to parturition, females’ biological systems are deeply modified in order to ensure embryo-fetal development and well-being (Girling, 2004). Their disorders threaten both mothers and their fetuses. Therefore, maternal hyperglycaemia, hypertension and other distress usually contributed to embryo and fetus malformations, teratogenicity and lethality. Furthermore, in reproductive toxicology, various exogenous substances are capable of inducing adverse outcomes in both mothers and their fetuses, via a direct or an indirect pathway (Simmons, 2006; Doubilet and Benson, 1990). Since scorpion envenoming is widely spread throughout many regions of the world and still constitutes an endemic public health problem, it is hypothesized that it may perturb the gestation process and the embryo-fetal development and well-being, when ARTICLE IN PRESS www.elsevier.de/etp 0940-2993/$ - see front matter r 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.etp.2008.12.004 Ã Corresponding author. Tel.: +216 74 247 036; fax: +216 74 217 236. E-mail address: HmedBNasr@gmail.com (H. Ben Nasr).