title: A study on the cause of death due to waglerin-I, a toxin from Trimeresurus wagleri.
abstract: Waglerin-I, a lethal toxin isolated from the venom of Trimeresurus wagleri, consists of 22 amino acid residues with a proline-rich sequence. In the present study, we investigated the cause of death and the possible site of action of this toxin. In anesthetized mice, i.v. administration of waglerin-I at 0.5 microgram/g produced respiratory failure within 5 min. The blood pressure could be maintained by the application of artificial respiration immediately after respiratory arrest. Waglerin-I at 4 microM reversibly blocked the indirect twitch of the mouse phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparation, but had no effect on the direct twitch. It is concluded that respiratory failure, resulting from neuromuscular block, is the primary cause of death due to waglerin-I in mice. In contrast to the results obtained in mice, in anesthetized rats no toxic effects on respiration and blood pressure were observed except for a transient hypotension up to 10 micrograms/g (i.v.). In accordance with the in vivo experiments, waglerin-I at concentrations up to 40 microM did not block the indirect twitch of the rat diaphragm. It thus appears that rats are resistant to the toxic effects of waglerin-I.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei.
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002423:Cause of Death; D051379:Mice; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000633:toxicity*; D014757:Viper Venoms / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014118:Toxins, Biological; D014757:Viper Venoms