Indian Red Scorpion Mesobutus thamurus Although this scorpion is a major cause of mortality in India and Sri Lanka, there is no specific diagnostic method to detect this venom in envenomated plasma or body fluids. Therefore, we propose a new, simple and rapid method to detect this venom. M. Tamulus venom (MTV) was examined in the plasma of envenomated animals using polyclonal antibodies (PAbs) generated against three engineered custom peptides representing antigenic epitopes of K .+ (Tamapin) and Na+ (α-neurotoxin) channel toxins are the two major MTV toxins identified by proteomic analysis. The optimal PAb formulation containing PAb 1, 2, and 3 in a 1:1:1 (w/w/w) ratio acted synergistically and demonstrated significantly higher immunological recognition of MTV than anti-scorpion antivenom (developed against native toxin) and individual antibodies against peptide immunogens. The PAb formulations were able to optimally detect MTV in the plasma of envenomed rats (intravenous and subcutaneous routes) 30–60 min after injection. The acetonitrile precipitation method developed in this study to increase the sensitivity of MTV detection enriched low molecular weight peptide toxins in the plasma of envenomed rats, which was confirmed by mass spectrometry. The gold nanoparticle-conjugated PAb formulations, characterized by biophysical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), demonstrated interactions with low molecular weight MTV peptide toxins in the plasma of envenomed rats. This interaction leads to the accumulation of gold nanoparticles, resulting in a discernible signal change in the absorbance spectrum within 10 min. From the standard curve of MTV-spiked plasma, the amount of MTV in the plasma of poisoned rats can be measured by the gold nanoparticle-PAb formulation conjugate.
Puzari, U., Khan, MR, & Mukherjee, AK (2024). Development of a novel gold nanoparticle-based diagnostic prototype for in vivo detection of Indian red scorpion (Mesobuthus tamulus) venom. Toxicon:X100203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxcx.2024.100203
