Histological changes in structural components of rat kidneys 1 day after exposure to Leiurus macroctenus scorpion venom

Abstract

Numerous cases of poisoning resulting from scorpion bites are reported annually in tropical and subtropical countries. Lethality from the effects of scorpion venom components is mainly associated with the ability of their neurotoxins to change the functional properties of ion channels. The kidneys are among the first to be affected by scorpion venoms, and among the main morphological manifestations of organ damage under these conditions are oedema, necrosis, haemorrhages, and lymphocytic infiltration. The study aims to examine the histological changes in rat kidney tissue 1 day after exposure to the venom of the scorpion Leiurus macroctenus. The study utilised 10 white male laboratory rats weighing 200 g (±10 g), bred in the vivarium of the Educational and Scientific Centre “Institute of Biology and Medicine” at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The venom of scorpions of the Buthidae family, genus Leiurus, species Leiurus macroctenus, was administered to rats once intramuscularly (0.5 ml of venom solution previously dissolved in saline; 28.8 μg/ml; LD50=0.08 mg/kg). Kidney samples of animals of all groups were taken for microscopic examination. Histological preparations of the kidneys were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The toxic effect of scorpion venom on the first day of the experiment caused profound dystrophic-degenerative changes in the parenchymal components of the kidney, against the background of remodelling of the vascular bed of the organ, which is accompanied by the formation of stasis, thrombi, and volumetric haemorrhages. Significant alternative changes in the renal corpuscles are manifested by their deformation, atrophy, hyperemia and multiple haemorrhages. In the tubular system, pronounced hydropic, protein, and droplet-protein dystrophy were detected, and in their lumens, voluminous accumulations of cellular detritus were observed. Thus, in acute poisoning of rats with Leiurus macroctenus venom, stasis, thrombus formation, and massive haemorrhages in the cortical and medullary parts of the kidneys are observed within a day, as well as dystrophic changes in the tubular part of the nephrons (distal, proximal tubules, and collecting tubules). The indirect effect of the venom led to the formation of voluminous, inflammatory loci of leukocyte infiltrates in the interstitium and directly in the tubules and renal corpuscles.