, 1975), hyaluronidases ( Ghosh and Singh, 1974) and phospholipases ( Cirino et al., 1989). As the present study did not aim at the quantification and characterization selleck compound of monoamine and other venom component, it is not possible to speculate about the precise venom components responsible

for the oedematogenic effect of S. cyanea venom. However, as indicated by previous studies, it is probably a multimediated phenomenon. Besides the significant hindpaw-induced oedema by S. cyanea venom, a slight hemorrhagic effect was observed at the assayed doses, contrary to that reported in previous studies which have shown that wasp venoms exhibit moderate to strong hemorrhagic activity ( Schmidt et al., 1986 and Tan and Ponnudurai, 1992). This hemorrhagic effect may indicate the low presence of molecules with fibrinolytic and anticoagulant activities in S. cyanea wasp venom, as already described for other wasp venoms ( Czaikoski et al., 2010). As mentioned above, a wasp sting can produce symptoms that are local, affecting only the skin, or systemic, affecting the whole body ( Ratnoff and Hymie, 1983 and Sachdev et al., 2002). The slight hemorrhagic activity from S. cyanea venom indicates that envenomation caused by this wasp may produce only local effects on mammalian skin. Studies with venom components related to hemorrhagic activity are important

for the research of new drugs for the control of diseases caused by blood clotting ( Czaikoski et al., 2010). S. cyanea venom showed a strong haemolytic activity on O positive human erythrocytes. It is worthwhile to note GDC-0068 concentration that the systemic effects induced by wasp sting include haemolysis which is associated with hematoglobinuria and hematoglobinemia

( Humblet et al., 1982). Rhabdomyolysis may also occur, leading to serum elevations of creatinine phosphatase (CPK) and lactate dehydrogenase; Cytidine deaminase CPK levels of 91,000 IU/liter have been reached within 24 h of mass stinging bees and wasp (normal < 160 IU/liter) ( Humblet et al., 1982). Other studies with wasp venoms have also demonstrated the presence of molecules with haemolytic activity, in this regard the peptides Polybia-MP-II and Polybia-MP-III, isolated from the venom of the social wasp P. paulista, showed a strong haemolytic effect ( Monson de Souza et al., 2009); this fact being consistent with our results relative to the haemolytic activity from S. cyanea venom. Experiments with P. paulista, P. occidentalis and P. ignobilis whole venoms showed haemolytic activity on human erythrocyte, the P. paulista whole venom being the most haemolytic, followed by the P. occidentalis and P. ignobilis venoms, respectively ( Mortari et al., 2005), strengthening our results with the S. cyanea wasp venom, which is even stronger than the P. paulista.