EVALUATION OF BARU (DIPTERYX ALATA) FLOUR AS A POTENTIAL INHIBITOR OF THE LACHESIS MUTA MUTA SNAKE VENOM -INDUCED MYOTOXICITY AND NEUROMUSCULAR BLOCKADE

Snake venom is a complex mixture of bioactive substances known to induce a wide range of toxic effects. We investigated the potential of baru flour (Dipteryx alata) in mitigating the neuromuscular blockade induced by Lachesis muta muta venom. Three pharmacological models (pre-incubation, post-venom, and pre-venom), with n=6 each, were exposed to isolated nerve-muscle preparations and conventional myographic technique. Muscular changes were further examined through light microscopy, and protein composition was analyzed via SDS-PAGE electrophoresis for both venom and baru:venom mixture. A concentration of 1000 µg/mL baru flour was chosen for subsequent assays against the venom (100 µg/mL), which inhibited 62.1 % of the contractile response. Notably, pre-incubation with baru flour resulted in a significant 30.6 % inhibition (p<0.05), while post-venom and pre-venom models showed no significant effects. Myotoxicity (in %) revealed that venom affected 35.3 ± 1.7 to cells, while pre-incubation,19.3 ± 1.9 (p<0.05).  Electrophoresis analysis of the mixture containing baru flour and venom revealed a reduction in venom-specific proteins, a finding corroborated by a decrease in protein concentration (in µg/mL) from 6.8 ± 0.001 to 1.4 ± 0.003. Concluding, baru flour possesses significant potential as an inhibitor against paralysis and myotoxicity induced by Lachesis venom, a promising therapeutic application.