Notechis scutatus venom increases the yield of proliferating muscle cells from biopsies of normal and dystrophic canine muscle--a possible source for myoblast transfer studies.

The injection of 1 micrograms Notechis scutatus (Australian tiger snake) venom (notexin) induces localized necrosis in the muscles of normal and dystrophic dogs. Biopsies taken from the muscles on the second day of postnecrotic regeneration provide about 8-16 x 10(6) cells capable of proliferation per g tissue, about 100 fold more than the untreated adult dog muscles. Muscle specific markers, such as the capacity of the cells to fuse, surface labelling with N-CAM antibodies (Leu-19 and 5.1.H11), and immunostaining with desmin, indicated that over 90% of the cultivated cells are indeed myogenic. The method is a safe and cost effective way to generate large amounts of proliferating muscle cells from biopsies of adult animals, which could provide a useful step in the therapeutic efforts in inherited muscle diseases by the implantation of normal myoblasts or genetically corrected myoblasts.