The ability of whole
immunoglobulin G (
IgG) and F(ab')2 polyvalent (Crotalinae)
antivenoms to neutralize the hemorrhagic,
edema-forming and myotoxic activities of Bothrops asper
venom was studied. Both
antivenoms were adjusted to the same neutralizing potency against lethal and hemorrhagic activities in experiments where
venom and
antivenoms were incubated before injection. Thus, in these experimental conditions, differences in the neutralizing ability in experiments involving independent injection of
venom and
antivenoms would depend mainly on the different pharmacokinetic profiles of whole
IgG and F(ab')2
antivenoms. Experiments involving local injection of
venom followed by
intravenous administration of
antivenom at either 0, 15 or 30 min after envenomation did not reveal any significant difference between whole
IgG and F(ab')2 products concerning neutralization of
hemorrhage,
edema and myonecrosis induced by B. asper
venom. The three effects were neutralized by
antivenoms only to a partial extent and neutralization decreased as the time-lapse between envenomation and
antivenom administration increased. Moreover, with the exception of one time-interval, no significant differences in the neutralization of
hemorrhage were observed when
antivenom was administered by the intramuscular or intraperitoneal route. The results do not support the assumption that F(ab')2
antivenom is more effective than whole
IgG antivenom in the neutralization of local
hemorrhage,
edema and myonecrosis induced by B. asper
venom in mice.