Abstract
Strychnine poisoning induces seizures that result in loss of control of airway muscles, leading to asphyxiation and subsequent death. Current treatment options are limited, requiring hands-on medical care and isolation to low-stimulus environments. Anticonvulsants and muscle relaxants have shown limited success in cases of severe toxicity. Furthermore, nonfatal strychnine poisoning is likely to result in long-term muscular and cognitive damage. Due to its potency, accessibility, and lack of effective antidotes, strychnine poses a unique threat for mass casualty incidents. As a first step toward developing an anti-strychnine immunotherapy to reduce or prevent strychnine-induced seizures, a strychnine vaccine was synthesized using subunit keyhole limpet hemocyanin. Mice were vaccinated with the strychnine immunoconjugate and then given a 0.75 mg/kg IP challenge of strychnine and observed for seizures for 30 min. Vaccination reduced strychnine-induced events, and serum strychnine levels were increased while brain strychnine levels were decreased in vaccinated animals compared to the control. These data demonstrate that strychnine-specific antibodies can block the seizure-inducing effects of strychnine and could be used to develop a therapeutic for strychnine poisoning.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1291-1298 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | ACS Chemical Neuroscience |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 5 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was funded by the University of Minnesota Department of Pharmacology.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Chemical Society.
Keywords
- antitoxin
- immunotherapy
- seizure
- strychnine
- toxicity
- vaccine
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't