Bothrops atrox mice experimental envenoming treatment using light-emitting diode (led) as an adjunct therapy to conventional serum therapy

The use of anti-venom is one of the main control measures for snakebite envenoming when applied immediately after the snakebite. Systemic effects of the envenoming are usually reversed; however, neutralization of local effects is hardly achieved. The need for adjuvant therapies associated with serum therapy can improve the treatment for local effects of envenoming, with greater effectiveness in preventing or delaying the progression of damage, reducing the clinical signs and symptoms of victims of snakebites. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the photobiomodulation therapy using LED and/or dexamethasone associated with conventional serum therapy for the treatment of local damage caused by Bothrops atrox envenomation in a murine model. For this, experimental envenoming was carried out in the gastrocnemius muscle of male Swiss mice weighing 18 to 22 g divided into 8 groups of animals, distributed in groups non-treat, treated with anti-bothropic serum, dexamethasone, and LED, or the associated treatments, by intramuscular inoculation of 50 µg of venom or sterile PBS (control). After 30 min, the proposed treatments were administered alone or in combination. After 3 h, blood and muscle samples were collected for myotoxicity, cytotoxicity, histological analysis, and IL-1β assays. The evaluation of the treatment alone showed that serum therapy is not effective for the treatment of local damage and photobiomodulation demonstrated to be an effective therapy to reduce leukocyte infiltration, hemorrhage, and myotoxicity in experimental envenoming; dexamethasone proved to be a good resource for the treatment of the inflammatory process reducing the leukocyte infiltration. The association of serum therapy, LED, and dexamethasone was the best treatment to reduce the local effects caused by Bothrops atrox venom. All in all, the association of photobiomodulation therapy using LED with conventional serum therapy and the anti-inflammatory drug is the best treatment for reducing the undesirable local effects caused by snakebite accidents involving B. atrox species.