Abstract
A comparative study on the sensitivity of erythrocytes from different vertebrate species (avian, mammalian and reptilian) to the hemolytic action caused by cardiotoxin isolated from Naja naja atra venom was carried out. Cardiotoxin was able to induce direct hemolysis in washed erythrocytes from several animals, except for llama. The EC50 values from hemolysis of the most sensitive (cat) and the most resistant (snake) animal varied approximately tenfold. According to the cell behavior, it was possible to characterize four types of behavior: The first was observed in cat, horse and human cells; the second in rat, rabbit and dog erythrocytes; and the third only in llama erythrocytes, which were resistant to cardiotoxin concentrations up to 300 µg/ml. Finally, avian and reptilian erythrocytes were more resistant to cardiotoxin III-induced hemolysis than those of the mammalian species.
Highlights
Cardiotoxins (CD) constitute a large family of small (60-62 amino acid residues) basic peptides present in the venoms of cobras
With the types of erythrocytes tested, the amount of hemoglobin released after 60 min incubation with different concentrations of cardiotoxin isoform III (CD III) did not increase with time, interaction with CD and the consequent membrane damage was complete in 60 min and did not progress, suggesting further kinetic effects
Klibansky et al [16] reported that, at 200 μg/ml, the “Direct Lytic Factor” (DLF) isolated from H. haemachatus venom was able to cause no more than 10% hemolysis in human red blood cells, while dog erythrocytes were more resistant to the cardiotoxin action
Summary
Cardiotoxins (CD) constitute a large family of small (60-62 amino acid residues) basic peptides present in the venoms of cobras (genera Naja and Hemachatus). CDs can bind strongly to zwitterionic or acidic phospholipids, resulting in aggregation/fusion of phospholipid vesicles [3], and are able to cause lysis of different types of cells, within a distinct range of concentrations, presumably by disarranging the structure of membrane lipids. It is not clear how these interactions are related to their different biological activities. The isoform III was employed in this study in order to compare the sensitivity of erythrocytes from different species to CD-induced hemolysis
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