Purification of a basic phospholipase A2 from Indian saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) venom: characterization of antigenic, catalytic and pharmacological properties.

A major basic phospholipase A2 was purified from the Indian saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) venom by the combination of column chromatography and electrophoresis. The purified phospholipase A2 (EC-IV-PLA2) has a mol. wt of 14,000 by SDS-PAGE. It is a basic protein with a pI value between 7.2 and 7.6, and has a fluorescence emission maxima at 340 nm. It induces neurotoxicity and oedema in mice with an i.p. LD50 of 5 mg/kg body weight. It is devoid of direct haemolytic, myotoxic, cytotoxic and anticoagulant activities. Rabbit polyclonal antibodies prepared against EC-IV-PLA2 inhibited the in vitro enzymatic activity dose dependently, but did not neutralize the toxic effects of EC-IV-PLA2 in experimental animals.