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Systemic Loxoscelism, Less Frequent but More Deadly: The Involvement of Phospholipases D in the Pathophysiology of Envenomation

Authors :
Luiza Helena Gremski
Hanna Câmara da Justa
Nayanne Louise Costacurta Polli
Pedro Henrique de Caires Schluga
João Lucas Theodoro
Ana Carolina Martins Wille
Andrea Senff-Ribeiro
Silvio Sanches Veiga
Source :
Toxins, Vol 15, Iss 1, p 17 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2022.

Abstract

Bites of Loxosceles spiders can lead to a set of clinical manifestations called loxoscelism, and are considered a public health problem in many regions. The signs and symptoms of loxoscelism are divided into cutaneous and systemic forms. The former is more frequent and includes signs of envenoming at the bite site or neighboring regions. Systemic loxoscelism, although much less frequent, is associated with complications, and can even lead to death. It may include intravascular hemolysis, acute renal failure, and thrombocytopenia. Loxosceles venoms are enriched with phospholipases D (PLDs), which are a family of isoforms found at intra-species and inter-species levels. Under experimental conditions, these enzymes reproduce the main clinical signs of loxoscelism, including an exacerbated inflammatory response at the bite site and dermonecrosis, as well as thrombocytopenia, intravascular hemolysis, and acute renal failure. The role of PLDs in cutaneous loxoscelism was described over forty years ago, when studies identified and purified toxins featured as sphingomyelinase D. More recently, the production of recombinant PLDs and discoveries about their structure and mechanism has enabled a deeper characterization of these enzymes. In this review, we describe these biochemical and functional features of Loxosceles PLDs that determine their involvement in systemic loxoscelism.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20726651
Volume :
15
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Toxins
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.5ac8195fb3df4636bc4b01aeccb9e8de
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins15010017