The main cause of death intoxicated with the venom is circulatory failure by the toxicity of the venom and the most frequent snake bites in Korea are caused by Agkistrodon snakes.
So this experimental studies were carried out to observe the cardiotoxicity of venoms of Agkistrodon snakes in Korea, which consists of Agkistrodon b. brevicaudus, Agkistrodon caliginosus and Agkistrodon saxatilis.
Experimental animals were adult rats with weight ranged 200-2509m. Venoms of .A. b. brevicaudus (44 mg) A. caliginosus(32 mg) and A. saxatilis(40 mg) were diluted in 12 ml of normal saline solution just before injection and 0. 4 ml of this solution was administrated through the tail vein of the each rat. Then histopathological observations with light and electron microscope, were done on the head of the rats died after intoxication with the venoms.
The results obtained were as follows:
1. The heart of the intoxicated rat revealed marked hemorrhage in the ventricular and subendocardial myocardium especially in apical portion, grossly. Moderate to marked congestion; edema and hemorrhage were seen in the subendocardium and ventricular myocardium with coagulation necrosis and infiltration of a few neutrophils in the hemorrhagic areas. No fibrin thrombi was noted.
2. Electron microscopic changes of ventricular myocardium revealed marked intracellular `edema with lifting, bullae formation and rupture of the sarcolemma as well as separation of myofilaments and myofibrils with random focal losses of myofilaments. Mitochondrial swelling and, vacuole formation with focal necrosis of subcellular microorganells in the sarcopiasm were also-noted.
3. Although there were little different in death rates of three binds of venoms,´ the basic pathologic changes of myocardial damages were similar.
4. Therefore, it was assumed that acute cardiotoxicity with venoms of Agkistrodon snakes, characterized by marked edema and herh6rrhage followed by coagulation necrosis in the myocardium, could cause, acute death in early stage by circulatory collapse and shock and which effects could be referred to the hematotoxicity of venom in the myocardium of rats.
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