Viper
bites cause high morbidity and mortality worldwide and regarded as a
neglected tropical disease affecting a large healthy population. Classical
antivenom therapy has appreciably reduced the
snakebite mortality rate; it apparently fails to tackle
viper venom-induced local manifestations that persist even after the administration of
antivenom. Recently,
viper venom-induced oxidative stress and vital organ damage is deemed as yet another reason for concern; these are considered as postmedicated complications of viper
bite. Thus, treating viper
bite has become a challenge demanding new treatment strategies, auxiliary to
antivenin therapy. In the last decade, several studies have reported the use of plant products and clinically approved drugs to neutralize
venom-induced pharmacology. However, very few attempts were undertaken to study oxidative stress and vital organ damage. Based on this background, the present study evaluated the protective efficacy of
melatonin in Echis carinatus (EC)
venom-induced tissue
necrosis, oxidative stress, and organ toxicity. The results demonstrated that
melatonin efficiently alleviated EC
venom-induced
hemorrhage and myonecrosis. It also mitigated the altered levels of inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress markers of blood components in liver and kidney homogenates, and documented renal and hepatoprotective action of
melatonin. The histopathology of skin, muscle, liver, and kidney tissues further substantiated the overall protection offered by
melatonin against viper
bite toxicities. Besides the inability of
antivenoms to block local effects and the fact that
melatonin is already a widely used
drug promulgating a multitude of therapeutic functionalities, its use in viper
bite management is of high interest and should be seriously considered.