Pharmacology and chemistry of the venoms of solitary wasps.

In this study certain activities of solitary wasp venoms collected from the Suez Canal area (Bembix oculata, Dielis collaris, and Scolia erythrocephala) were investigated. The effects of these venoms on different types of muscles were studied, and in addition, the chemical structures were studied by electrophoretic analysis. We found that the venoms affect different types of muscles (cardiac, skeletal, and smooth) in different ways. The effect of the venoms on heart muscle was rapid and led to bradycardia, an increase in R amplitude on ECG, and other cardiac disorders such as atrioventricular block. These effects were abolished by atropine, indicating they were mediated through the peripheral nervous system. All of the venoms we tested reversibly blocked the nicotinic receptors of toad skeletal muscle and the muscarinic receptors of smooth muscles. Through electrophoretic analysis, seven bands were detected in Dielis collaris venom, while five bands were detected in Bembix oculata venom.