Format: ORAL

Marcela Serna1, Alejandro Serna2, Omar Carmona3, Alvaro Cogollo1, Diver Mayo1, Yamileth Delgado1, Jorge Ignacio Montoya1, Mahmood Sasa4, Felipe Triana4, Fabian Bonilla4, Jeisson Gmez-Robles2, Ana Mara Prieto1, Jessica Paola Rey2, Vitelbina Nuez2

1 Grupo INTEGRA, Facultad de Ingeniería, Tecnológico de Antioquia - Institución Universitaria, Medellín, Colombia 2 Grupo Toxinología, alternativas terapéuticas y alimentarias, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia 3 Líder comunitario vereda Caucheras, Mutatá, Colombia 4 Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica

Colombia harbors a vast cultural and biological diversity, including a great richness of snakes. Most species are harmless to humans, although a few constitute a relevant public health problem as they induce severe envenomations and aftermaths. This pathology primarily affects rural regions in poor conditions. In Colombia, over 5.000 cases of snake envenoming, with 530 deaths, are reported yearly. Local communities use a vast number of botanic alternatives to treat snakebite due to the precariousness of public health. We performed a literature review from the last 50 years about plants used against snakebite in Colombia, including information from interviews with local communities in Mutat town at Northwest Antioquia. More than 300 plant species useful for snakebite were compiled after this review, while local communities from Mutat use 131 medicinal plants, including 31 for snakebite. From these, 21 species had not been included in any ethnobotanical study or report, highlighting that traditional knowledge keeps providing valuable information in plant use and management. Laboratory tests were then carried out using ethanolic extracts of five species. We did not find antivenom bioactivity but found no differences between extracts from four plant species and ibuprofen, suggesting analgesic activity. In addition, the anti-inflammatory activity of these plants and the amount of polyphenols in their ethanol extract were tested. Information on the biological activity of plant extracts used by the communities is an important source to find bioactive molecules and promote adequate plant use to which the communities have access. Therefore, we encourage local communities to conserve these traditions as a parallel treatment to public health programs focused on distributing and using antivenoms. Ancestral knowledge must be respected and conserved while public health is guaranteed.