Experimental studies on curing elapid bite with trypsin.

Abstract

The local injection of trypsin can be regarded as a new and effective therapy for venomous snakebite. Our experiments indicate that when mice or dogs have been injected with the lethal dose of elapid venom subcutaneously, they can all survive and have no symptoms of systemic poisoning if necessary dose of trypsin is injected locally and promptly. When the lethal dose of cobra venom is injected into mice, all of them can survive if trypsin is given within 15 minutes. And even if trypsin is given 20--50 minutes later, 50--90% of the mice can avoid death. The prompt local injection of trypsin is found effective to cure elapid bite as well as antivenins and is a very "broad spectrum' therapy having no specificity. There are no severe side-effects when trypsin is injected locally. The production of trypsin is rather simple and its preservation needs no special conditions. Trypsin can be put into pocketable first-aid auto-injector and can be used after snakebite at the possible earlier time. Even though a rather long time has elapsed after snakebite, the local injection of trypsin is still useful to destroy the large amount of venom stored in the tissues of the bitten area.