Effects of two types of cobra venom factor on porcine complement activation and pulmonary artery pressure.

Autologous porcine plasma that has been incubated with cuprophan haemodialysis membranes causes pulmonary hypertension and peripheral leucopenia following reinfusion into swine. These effects appear to be mediated by biologically active fragments of C3 and C5 that are generated as a consequence of ex vivo activation of complement. Putatively, C5a induces the leucopenia; however, the specific contributions of products of C3 and C5 activation to the pulmonary vasoconstriction have not been elucidated. In the present study, the effects of in vivo infusion of two different types of cobra venom factor (CVF) on peripheral leucocyte count and pulmonary artery pressure in the swine are reported. The CVF from Naja n. naja (CVF(TN)) was shown to activate both porcine C3 and C5, whereas the CVF from Naja h. haje (CVF(NH)) activated only C3. Both types of CVF produced pulmonary hypertension. Significant peripheral leucopenia, however, was observed only with CVF(TN). These results suggest that activation products of C3 contribute to the pulmonary hypertension but not to the peripheral leucopenia observed during haemodialysis using dialysis membranes that activate complement.