Introduction: Infectious diseases, mainly caused by bacterial agents, are one of the most common causes of death worldwide. A significant number of these agents have been resistant to one or more antibiotics,some of them are multi-drug resistant and others are extensively drug resistant. Various antimicrobial and anticancer compounds have been reported from the venom of various species of scorpions. In this study, the antibacterial effects of crude venom and protein fractions of Hottentotta saulcyi were studied. Materials and Methods: In this study, the electrophoresis and chromatographic patterns of crude venom of the scorpion were obtained. Then, the antibacterial properties of the crude venom and its protein fractions on a Grampositive bacterium, Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), and a Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli (E. coli), were evaluated using the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay by microdilution method. Results: In the Tricine SDS-PAGE profile of the crude venom, 7 protein bands, with a molecular weight of 4. 1 to 104 kDa were observed. In chromatographic studies, 14 main peaks were isolated and collected, of which 9 fractions contained protein. The crude venom at a concentration of 200 μ, g/ml had a significant inhibitory effect on Grampositive and Gram-negative bacteria. The effect of the protein fractions of the crude venom was also different in these two types of bacteria. Conclusion: The results of this study showed for the first time that the crude venom of Hottentotta saulcyi and some of its protein fractions have antibacterial properties.

Background: In this study, we investigated the lethal potency, electrophoretic protein pattern and in vivo effects of Hottentotta saulcyiscorpion venom in mice.Methods: scorpions were collected at night, by using a UV lamp from Mardin Province, Turkey. Venom was obtained from mature H. saulcyi scorpions by electrical stimulation of the telson. The lethality of the venom was determined by i.v. injections using Swiss mice. In vivo effects of the venom were assessed by using the intraperitoneal route (ip) injections into mice (20±1g) and monitored for 24 h. The protein profiles of the scorpion venom were analyzed by NuPAGEÒ NovexÒ 4-12 % gradient Bis-Tris gel followed by Coomassie blue staining.Results: The lethal assay of the venom was 0.73 mg/kg in mice. We determined the electrophoretic protein pattern of this scorpion venom to be 4, 6, 9, 31, 35, 40, 46 and 69 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Analysis of electrophoresis indicated that H. saulcyi scorpion intoxicated mice exhibited autonomic nervous system symptoms (tachypnea, restlessness, hyperexcitability, convulsions, salivation, lacrimation, weakness).Conclusions: Hottentotta saulcyi scorpion venom includes short-chain neurotoxins and long-chain neurotoxins according to the electrophoretic protein patterns. The stings of H. saulcyi scorpion must be considered of risk for humans in the southeastern region, Turkey.

Introduction: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.

In animals, Sexual dimorphism can be based on morphological characteristics or measurable characteristics. In scorpion, except a few species that have two sexual forms, there is no significant difference between males and females. In this study, 12 measurable characteristics of male and female Hottentotta saulcyi, from the Rudbar area located on the border of Lorestan, Isfahan and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces, were measured and analyzed by SPSS 16 software. Independent Sample T-test showed a significant difference between the three traits, the distance between the two shoulder lines, shoulder length, and the number of shoulder teeth between males and females. The result showed that in male, the length of the shoulder is significantly larger and also the number of shoulder teeth more than female, but the distance between the two shoulder strains in the material is larger than the male, and therefore, these traits can be in the diagnosis of both males and females.

To evaluate the toxicity of Hottentotta saulcyi venom on Sesamia nonagrioides, we investigated the larval mortality, detoxification enzyme activity and histopathological alterations of the S. nonagrioides organs. Venoms were injected into the larvae at five doses (0. 15μ g, 0. 35μ g, 0. 5μ g, 0. 75μ g and 1μ g; fifteen larvae per each dose) and the doses causing death were recorded during the experiment. This study demonstrated that H. saulcyi venom was able to cause external symptoms that eventually led to death of the intoxicated larvae. Moreover, this venom strongly inhibited glutathione S-transferases (GST) activity. Our data highlighted the relationship between the activity of GST enzyme and larval mortalities, so that the inactivation of this enzyme by scorpion venom may be responsible for the increasing the larval mortality. In the present study, the damage of midgut epithelium and malpighian tubules has been directly visualized and documented using histopathology methods. Clear histopathological alterations of intoxication were observed for all larvae injected with 1μ g doses of venom, including a distinctive lysing and disorganizing of midgut epithelial cells that coupled with a progressive loss of the peritrophic membrane and the disappearance of microvilli.

The genus of Hottentotta sp. scorpion is one of the few medically important scorpions in Iran. This study assessed the genetic relationship analysis of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COXI) and 12sRNA genes and morphometric parameters among the population of Hottentotta sp in Khuzestan. Morphological analysis using the ANOVA T-test with a significance level of P-value less than 0. 05 showed differences between the Hottetotta saulcyi and Hottetotta zagrosensis. However, this method was not able to distinguish between members of the same species. The amplification of gene fragments was done on 12srRNA (374 bp), and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COXI) (624 bp) from Hottentotta sp. collected from Khuzestan by PCR. Based on sequence 12srRNA, all H. saulcyi specimens (HS4, HS6 and HS7) except HS5 were included in cluster B. While two specimens of H. Zagrosensis (HZ6 and HZ1) with 99% bootstrap value were placed in cluster A. By using 12srRNA sequences, the highest genetic distance between the Khuzestan specimens was related to HS5 and HS7, which was calculated to be 16. 7%. However, the amount of amino acid difference between HS5 and HS7 using the COXI sequence was 9. 2%. The genetic distances of HS7 and HS5 with the only scorpion reference sequence, H. saulcyi, were 11. 8% and 9. 2%, respectively. Morphological data showed the separation of the two species, consistent with molecular phylogenetic trees. On the other hand, the genetic distance of specimens HS7 and HS5 with other members of the group as well as the scorpion reference sequence using the COXI gene, confirmed the possibility of an intraspecies difference that could not be proved by the morphological data alone.

In most areas in Iran, especially Khouzestan province, scorpion sting is a sedous problem. In Khouzestan, most of the scorpion stings are due to Buthidae family of almost 41% belong to Androctonus crassicauda. scorpion toxin consists of different biologic active components such as different types of toxins which are encoded by individual gene. There is no genetic information about sequence of genes coding toxins of Buthidae scorpion family of Khuzestan province in national center for biotechnology information (NCBI). The aim of this study was to amplify cDNA encoding a neurotoxin from venom gland of Buthidae family scorpions. Samples were provided and identified by Razi reference scorpion laboratory of Ahvaz. Using RNXTM solution, the total RNA was extracted from the venom glands of species of Mesobuthus eupeus, Hottentotta saulcyi, Hottentotta zagrosensis and Androctonus crassicauda and concentration of RNA samples were evaluated by spectrophotometer. In order to amplify cDNA encoding a neurotoxin, the degenerate primers have been designed. Using RT-PCR technique and after optimizing PCR conditions, an approximately 241 bp cDNA fragment from A. crassicauda was amplified.

Polyphagous Sesamia nonagrioides (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important pest of sugarcane in Khuzestan province. This study aimed to evaluate the toxicity effects of Hottentotta saulcyi scorpion venom on S. nonagrioides using three methods; orally, microinjection and spraying through skin contact. After the venom collection and measuring the protein content of the venom, different venom doses were prepared. larvae were injected with five doses of venom (0. 15μ g, 0. 35μ g, 0. 5μ g, 0. 75μ g and 1μ g; fifteen larvae per each dose) and the mortality percentage were recorded during the experiment. Finally, lethal doses (LD50 and LD100) and toxicity unit (TU) were calculated using Probit analysis. According to the results, S. nonagrioides was affected by the toxicity of scorpion venom. LD50, LD100 and TU values for stem borer larvae at 24h was obtained 0. 96, 2. 23 μ g/mg and 104. 17 respectively. This study demonstrated that injection of H. saulcyi venom immediately causes locomotive paralysis and then death in all larvae injected by high doses of scorpion venom (1μ g and 0. 75μ g) after 48h. The effect of orally and spraying through skin contact administration of different doses of scorpion venom in stem borer mortality were not statically significant. The results of this study indicated that the scorpion venom was effective in the injection method while larvae showed resistance to spraying and oral administration of the venom.

Background: Currently, traditional medicine has received much attention. Accumulating evidence in Iranian folk medicine shows Parkinsonia aculeate are used as a folk remedy in scorpion envenomation. Objective: Based on this and search for an alternative treatment in scorpion sting, the pharmacologic and immunologic effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Parkinsonia aculeate leaves were studied in scorpion sting through in vivo and in vitro methods. Results: Obtained results from in vitro pharmacological study using chick biventer cerivicies (CBC) preparation, show that hydroalcoholic extract of plant has a partial agonistic properties on cholinergic receptors and act as competitive antagonist in presence of exogenous acetylcholine. Furthermore, the pharmacologic results revealed extract has not significant effects on neutralization of neuro-muscular transmission outwards due to Buthotus saulcyi scorpion venom effects. These results were confirmed by in vivo study which plant extract has not significant consequences to delay death time mean of one LD50 scorpion venom vein injection or block death of mice. As well, Gel diffusion study shows no immunologic reaction between plant extract and 4 known hazardous scorpion species of Iran. Conclusions: As a consequence, this study indicates that the use of Parkinsonia aculeate not to be considered as protective antidote or a true remedy for clinical outwards following scorpion bites.