Sympathoadrenal activity in the rat after Bitis gabonica envenomation

Some research has suggested that Gaboon Viper venom increases adrenergic activity. We studied sympathoadrenal function in rats after injection of Bitis gabonica venom. At one and six hours after catecholamine synthesis blockade with alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine, control and envenomated animals had no difference in cardiac norepinephrine content, suggesting no change in norepinephrine secretion by cardiac sympathetic neurons was induced by the treatment In a different sample of animals, urine was collected for 24 hours before and after envenomation or normal saline injection. Comparison of pre- and post-injection norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine excretion demonstrated no significant increase in either control or experimental groups. Our data suggest that Bitis gabonica venom increases neither cardiac nor overall sympathoadrenal activity significantly.