Scorpion venoms

Scorpion Venoms
Gopalakrishnakone, P., Possani, L.D., F. Schwartz, E.,Rodríguez de la Vega, R.C. (Eds.)
1st ed.
575 pages
ISBN 9789400764033

Scorpions have fascinated humans for a long time, first and foremost because of the harm the sting of a few species could cause but also due to their unique natural history and for the many biologically active compounds found in their venoms. This volume of the Toxinology handbook series covers all those aspects. The subjects are divided into seven sections starting with an introduction to the general aspects of scorpion biology and ecology, followed by the description of the “envenomation” pathophysiology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of venoms and their complex interactions with the immune system. The future of anti-scorpion venom therapy is then covered in two chapters dedicated to alternatives to the century-old techniques currently used to produce “anti-venoms”. The next section presents a world tour of “scorpionism” and dangerous scorpion species and their impact on human health. It is worth remembering that envenomation due to scorpion stings is a substantial health hazard in Asian, Middle Eastern, African, and Latin American countries, with over one million people stung by scorpions every year, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths. Species-centered overviews of “scorpion venoms” are presented in the next section, after which a section details the two main types of “scorpion toxins”. The last section covers high-throughput transcriptome and proteome screenings now known as “venomics”.
 
This volume provides chapters that are accessible to a broad audience, yet also contains the depth of knowledge and detail which makes it of interest to experts in the field. Readers of this reference work will leave well informed on the current state of the art of scorpion venom research.


Table of Contents:

Part I Introduction 1
Scorpion Diversity and Distribution: Past and Present Patterns 3
Introduction to Scorpion Biology and Ecology 25

Part II Envenomation 61
Scorpion Venoms: Pathogenesis and Biotherapies 63
Scorpion Venom Interactions with the Immune System 87
New Insights on the Pharmacokinetics of Venoms and Antivenoms 109

Part III Antivenoms 137
Recombinant Neutralizing Antibodies, A New Generation of Antivenoms 139
Poultry IgY Alternatives to Antivenom Production 161

Part IV Scorpionism 179
Scorpionism and Dangerous Species of Jordan 181
Scorpionism and Dangerous Species of Mexico 201
Scorpionism and Dangerous Scorpions in Central America and the Caribbean Region 215
Scorpionism and Dangerous Species of Colombia 24
Scorpionism and Dangerous Species of Venezuela 273
Scorpionism and Dangerous Species of Brazil 299

Part V Scorpion Venoms 325
Scorpion Venom Research Around the World: Turkish Scorpions 327
Scorpion Venom Research Around the World: Heterometrus Species 351
Scorpion Venom Research Around the World: Indian Red Scorpion 369
Scorpion Venom Research Around the World: Chinese Scorpion Mesobuthus martensii Karsch 383
Scorpion Venom Research Around the World: Tityus serrulatus 411

Part VI Scorpion Toxins 439
Androctonus Toxins Targeting Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels 441
Molecular Description of Scorpion Toxin Interaction with Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels 471
Potassium Channel Blocking Peptide Toxins from Scorpion Venom 493

Part VII Venomics 529
Scorpion Venom Gland Transcriptomics 531
Modern Venom Profiling: Mining into Scorpion Venom Biodiversity 547

Index 563