Systemic oxidative stress in victims of Bothrops snakebites

• Oxidative stress in patients victims of Bothrops.
• Inflammatory process in victims of snakebites results in oxidative stress.
• Glutathione depletion in victims of snakebites from Bothrops species.

The genus Bothrops is responsible for approximately 90% of snakebites in Brazil. In the present study biomarkers of oxidative stress (OS) were evaluated in the blood of victims of snakebites from Bothrops jararaca and Bothrops jararacussu. Patient monitoring started from the emergency entrance at the hospital up to 30 days, groups divided as follows: time 0 (t0), 24 hours (t24h), 7 days (t7d) and 30 days (t30d). The activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and myeloperoxidase (MPO), as well as the contents of reduced glutathione (GSH), vitamin E, lipid peroxidation (TBARS), protein carbonyls (PC) were examined in blood. Initial determinations revealed increased CAT, GR and GPx activities and decreased SOD and GST activities together with the depletion of GSH contents, while markers of oxidative damage showed increased TBARS levels and decreased PC concentrations in victims of snakebite compared to controls (blood donors). Regarding the temporal effect, no statistical differences among the groups were detected for the distinct parameters analyzed. The responses obtained in OS biomarkers in victims of snakebite compared to healthy subjects indicate that Bothrops envenomation promoted a pronounced and persistent systemic OS in the blood of those subjects.

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