The effect of snake venoms and their components on adrenomedullary cells: catecholamine efflux and cell damage.

The effects of snake venom on the cholinergic system have been well-studied; however, no similar studies have been performed on the adrenergic system. Adrenomedullary cells secrete catecholamine (CA) on stimulation; thus they are an ideal system to study the effect of snake venoms on CA secretion or inhibition. Snake venoms from different Families and Genera were investigated. All snake venoms investigated, caused CA efflux. CA can be released when cytolysis takes place; so in order to assert CA efflux was not due to cytolysis, venoms were added after the cells were treated with KCl. Most venom, with the exception of sea snake (Hydrophiidae) venom, was found to induce CA release due to cytolysis. The effects of purified components such as phospholipase A2, neurotoxin I, and cardiotoxin were also investigated. Neurotoxin I caused neither cytolysis nor CA efflux. Cardiotoxin caused marked cytolysis, but with slightly less damaging effects than that of cobra venom. Some ion channel blockers prevented cytolysis induced by cardiotoxin. The CA efflux induced by cardiotoxin may be mediated through Ca2+ channels because the efflux could be completely depressed by a Ca2+ channel blocker (1 mM CdCl2).