title: Is direct cardiotoxicity the primary cause of death following i.v. injection of the basic phospholipase A2 from Naja nigricollis venom?
abstract: The primary cause of death following i.v. injection of the basic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from Naja nigricollis venom has been attributed to its direct cardiotoxicity. In view of our recent findings that cardiac failure caused by the basic PLA2 from Naja m. mossambica is primarily due to hyperkalemia resulting from cellular damage and possibly also from hemolysis, the cause of death due to the basic PLA2 from Naja nigricollis was re-investigated. In the anesthetized mice and rats, the PLA2 (0.3 micrograms/g, i.v.) produced a transient hypotension followed by recovery and subsequently by cardiac failure with ECG changes suggestive of hyperkalemia, such as P-R prolongation, tall T-wave, biphasic QRS-T complex, low voltage of QRS, A-V block, etc. Analysis of blood chemistry revealed marked increases in the plasma levels of K+, CPK, LDH, GOT, GPT, inorganic phosphate and hemoglobin (probably a mixture of hemoglobin and myoglobin). In the atrial preparation, however, no marked cardiotoxicity was observed except for a slight negative inotropic effect at 30 micrograms/ml. When 200 micrograms of the enzyme was injected into the coronary circulation in the Langendorff preparation, also no marked cardiotoxic effect was observed except for a decrease (about 40%) of coronary flow. From these results, it is concluded that the primary cause of death following i.v. injection of the basic PLA2 from Naja nigricollis is apparently cardiac failure due to hyperkalemia, resulting from cellular damage and possibly also from hemolysis, rather than direct cardiotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacological Institute, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, R.O.C.
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D004546:Elapid Venoms / Q000633:toxicity; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000139:chemically induced*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010741:Phospholipases A / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D054467:Phospholipases A2; D011188:Potassium / Q000097:blood*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004546:Elapid Venoms; D010741:Phospholipases A; D054467:Phospholipases A2; D011188:Potassium