N-acetylcysteine as a potential adjuvant to antivenom for viper envenomation: a proof-of-concept mechanistic pilot study

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  N-acetylcysteine as a potential adjuvant to antivenom for viper envenomation: a proof-of-concept mechanistic pilot study Abstract Background Oxidative stress has a significant role in the pathophysiology of snake envenomation. Despite that, antivenom, the mainstay treatment, does not protect against envenomation-induced oxidative stress. This therapeutic gap highlights the need for adjunctive therapy targeting oxidative stress. The current study aimed to determine the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of viper snake envenomation and assess the role of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) as a co-adjuvant therapy in mitigating toxicity. A clinical pilot study was conducted on 30 Egyptian patients admitted to Alexandria Poison Centre within 24 h after bite by viperid snakes. The patients were categorized into two groups: Antivenom (ASV) group and Antivenom plus N-acetylcysteine (ASV + NAC) group. Oxidative stress biomarkers and severity grading were assessed on admission and after ...

Scorpion (Buthus martensii Karsch) in Chinese medicine: a review of traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacology, and toxicology

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Scorpion (Buthus martensii Karsch) in Chinese medicine: a review of traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacology, and toxicology

The processed Buthus martensii Karsch scorpions, commonly called Quanxie or Scorpio, have been a valuable traditional medicine for over a millennium, with documented use dating back to 935-960 AD. Traditionally employed in treating rheumatism, epilepsy, stroke, and chronic pain, Scorpio contains diverse chemical constituents, including venom, steroid derivatives, alkaloids, amino acids, and nucleosides. Modern pharmacological studies have identified active components, particularly venom and proteins, that exhibit analgesic, antitumor, antiepileptic, and antithrombotic properties. However, these same active ingredients can also induce neurotoxicity and autonomic dysfunction, with overdose leading to such adverse effects. Consequently, numerous processing methods have emerged to mitigate toxicity while preserving pharmacological activity. Despite these advances, key research gaps persist: modern studies overly rely on isolated venom components (with insufficient attention to multi-constituent interactions in processed whole scorpions), high-quality clinical trials are lacking in the functional research on active ingredients, and the mechanisms underlying processing-induced detoxification remain unclear.

Liu, M., Zhu, J., Lu, Q., Qu, Z., Zhou, Q., Zhang, L., Dai, Y., & Shi, D. (2025). Scorpion (Buthus martensii Karsch) in Chinese medicine: A review of traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacology, and toxicology. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 16, 1702650. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2025.1702650