Evaluation of Pro-inflammatory and Anti-inflammatory Cytokine Levels in Rats Treated with Hottentotta Saulcyi Scorpion Venom

Scorpion venom contains various biological compounds. Clinical symptoms in individuals and laboratory animals exposed to scorpion venom depend on the response of the host immune system. The secretion of inflammatory cytokines is one of the most critical factors involved in the pathogenesis of scorpion venom. This comparative study aimed to evaluate the expression of inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in rats treated with Hottentotta saulsyi scorpion venom. The venom was obtained from the Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute of Ahvaz branch. After determining the H. saulsyi venom LD50, the rats were divided in two groups of test and control (n-12). The test group received 1/3 LD50 dose in 0.5 ml of physiological serum by subcutaneous injection per rat. The exact amount of physiological serum was injected into the control group. After that, cardiac blood samples were taken from rats at 0, 4, 24, and 72 hours after anesthesia. After serum preparation, the levels of IL-10 and IL-6 cytokines were measured in both groups using ELISA assays. The obtained LD50 equaled 1.01 mg/kg of the rat’s body weight. Four hours after experimentally envenomation, the serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were significantly increased compared to the control group (P <0.05); but in the taken samples 24 hours after the treatment, there was no significant difference compared to the control group. During 72 hours, the level of these cytokines decreased in the treatment group compared to the control group. Changes in inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines levels during scorpion stings can be used as a novel clinical finding to assess patients' status and perform appropriate therapeutic interventions to reduce scorpion sting complications.