PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF TANNIC-ACID AND RELATED NATURAL COMPOUNDS ON CROTALUS-ADAMENTEUS SUBCUTANEOUS POISONING IN MICE

The plant natural products namely tannic acid and the flavonoids luteo lin, kaempferol and apigenin exerted potent inhibition on the hyaluron idase enzyme. They were able to neutralize the haemorrhage induced by Crotalus adamenteus venom in mice dose-dependently from 0.12-2.4 mg/kg subcutaneously. In addition, they were able to antagonize the lethal activity of the venom when injected subcutaneously into mice and the o rder of potency was: tannic acid >> luteolin = kaempferol > apigenin. Tannic acid (24 mg/kg, subcutaneously) was able to reduce significantl y the venom-induced elevation of blood creatine kinase activity. It co uld also prolong the survival time(s) of mice, when injected immediate ly after the administration of venom. Experimental evidence is present ed for the first time that malondialdehyde in liver and kidney is sign ificantly elevated as a result of rattlesnake venom poisoning and that this effect can be controlled by tannic acid.