Nisenbom H E, Perazzo J C, Monserrat A J, Vidal J C
Toxicon. 1986;24(8):807-17. doi: 10.1016/0041-0101(86)90106-6.
Purified phospholipase A2 from Bothrops alternatus venom is one single protein species with a molecular weight of 15,000 and isoelectric point 5.08. When injected i.p. or i.v. at a dose of 0.7 microgram/g body weight it is lethal to mice, eliciting a typical syndrome of dyspnea, tachycardia, arrhythmia and irreversible shock. Post mortem and histopathologic studies have demonstrated that the lungs (massive pulmonary hemorrhage), heart (foci of myocardial and endocardial necrosis with interfibrillar hemorrhage), liver (congestion, hepatocytic microvacuolization with zones of massive necrosis) and kidneys (foci of tubular and glomerular necrosis) were severely injured. Except for the less extensive hemorrhages and the significantly longer survival time, the observed lesions are similar to those observed after the injection of lethal doses of whole venom. The lethal potency of the purified enzyme (LD50 i.p. 0.14 microgram/g body weight) is 46-fold greater than that of the whole venom (LD50 i.p. 6.4 micrograms/g body weight). The contribution of phospholipase A2 to the overall lethal effect of B. alternatus venom is suggested by the decreased lethal potency of a venom sample in which a significant amount of phospholipase A2 has been removed and the full restoration of the lethal potency upon supplementation of the depleted sample with purified enzyme. It is concluded that phospholipase A2 is a major component responsible for lethality of the whole B. alternatus venom, while the contribution of other venom components appears to be significant mainly in reducing the time of survival.
从变纹矛头蝮蛇毒中纯化得到的磷脂酶A2是一种单一蛋白质，分子量为15,000，等电点为5.08。以0.7微克/克体重的剂量腹腔注射或静脉注射时，它对小鼠具有致死性，会引发典型的呼吸困难、心动过速、心律失常和不可逆休克综合征。死后尸体解剖和组织病理学研究表明，肺（大量肺出血）、心脏（心肌和心内膜坏死灶伴肌原纤维间出血）、肝脏（充血、肝细胞微空泡形成伴大片坏死区）和肾脏（肾小管和肾小球坏死灶）均受到严重损伤。除了出血范围较小和存活时间明显延长外，观察到的病变与注射致死剂量的全毒液后观察到的病变相似。纯化酶的致死效力（腹腔注射半数致死量为0.14微克/克体重）比全毒液（腹腔注射半数致死量为6.4微克/克体重）高46倍。在去除大量磷脂酶A2的毒液样品中致死效力降低，而用纯化酶补充耗尽样品后致死效力完全恢复，这表明磷脂酶A2对变纹矛头蝮蛇毒的总体致死作用有贡献。得出的结论是，磷脂酶A2是变纹矛头蝮全毒液致死性的主要成分，而其他毒液成分的作用似乎主要是缩短存活时间。
