The knockout effect of low doses of gamma radiation on hepatotoxicity induced by Echis Coloratus snake venom in rats

Echis Coloratus is the most medically important viper in Egypt causing several pathological effects leading to death. Gamma radiation has been used as a venom detoxifying tool in order to extend the lifespan of the immunized animals used in antivenin production process. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the effects of increasing doses of gamma radiation on Echis Coloratus in vivo through biochemical and histological studies. The results revealed a significant increase in the levels of AST, ALT, ALP and glucose of sera collected from the rats injected with native Echis Coloratus venom compared with the non-envenomed group. On the other hand, biochemical parameters of sera of rats administrated with either 1.5 kGy or 3 kGy irradiated venom were significantly decrease compared with the native venom envenomed group at 2h, 4h and 24h post envenomation. In addition, these results were confirmed by histological studies of rats livers. Correspondingly, the sublethal dose injection of native Echis Coloratus venom induced significant alterations in the histological architecture of liver after 2, 4 and 24 h of injection. Concurrently, the administration of both 1.5 kGy and 3 kGy gamma irradiated venom showed fewer histological alterations compared with the native group. In conclusion, the present findings support the idea of using gamma radiation as an effective venom detoxification tool.