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Specific In Vitro Biological Activity of Snake Venom Myotoxins
Author(s) -
Brusés Juan L.,
Capaso Juan,
Katz Eleonora,
Pilar Guillermo
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1993.tb03251.x
Subject(s) - sarcolemma , endoplasmic reticulum , snake venom , in vitro , myocyte , sarcoplasm , biochemistry , chemistry , venom , biology , microbiology and biotechnology
Some snake venoms contain toxins that are reported to be selective for damaging muscle. This specificity can be used to design experiments intended to eliminate muscle. We studied the small myotoxins and fractions IV and V of Bothrops nummifer venom to evaluate their direct effect on cultured muscle cells, neurons, macrophages, and a fibroblast cell line. The small myotoxins, at 100 μg/ml for 2 h, had no effect in vitro, contrary to the in vivo applications. Fractions IV and V were both myotoxic and, at 100 μg/ml, destroyed all cell types. However, at 10 μg/ml the effects of fraction IV were more selective for muscle. Vacuolation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and T‐tubules was first seen in the poisoned muscles, without initial lesions in the nuclei, sarcolemma, mitochondria, and rough endoplasmic reticulum. Fractions IV and V have different toxic activity in cells other than muscles and are a mixture of two basic proteins (i and ii). Protein ii is predominant in fraction IV and protein i is predominant in fraction V. The toxic effects may be mediated by the formation of nonspecific ionic pores in the sarcolemma and/or T‐tubule muscle membrane.