Secretory phospholipases A(2) (sPLA(2)) exert proinflammatory actions through lipid mediators. These enzymes have been found to be elevated in many inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, and atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of harpalycin 2 (Har2), an isoflavone isolated from Harpalyce brasiliana Benth., in the enzymatic, edematogenic, and m...

PURPOSE The present investigation was aimed at evaluating the anti-ophidian properties of ethnomedicinal herb Leucas aspera against Indian cobra, Naja naja venom enzymes. METHODS Methanolic extract of Leucas aspera was evaluated, in vitro, for its ability to inhibit the major enzyme activities of Naja naja venom including protease, phospholipase A2, hyaluronidase and hemolytic factors. The ty...

A set of radioiodinatable phosphatidylcholines (PCs) derivatized with the Bolton-Hunter reagent (BHPCs) was synthesized to probe the substrate recognition and activity of phospholipases. A common feature of this series is the presence of a bulky 4-hydroxyphenyl group at the end of the fatty acyl chain attached to position sn-2. The distance between the end group and the glycerol backbone was va...

Treatment of the electron transport membrane fraction of Rhodospirillum rubrum with phospholipase A from the venom of Naja Naja resulted in a stimulation of NADHand succinate-cytochrome c-reductase of the electron transfer chain. The mechanism of this stimulation appears to be identical with that found in the presence of the anionic detergent deoxycholate. At the same time the NADH oxidase syst...

Cytotoxins from cobra venom are known to manifest cytotoxicity in various cell types. It is widely accepted that the plasma membrane is a target of cytotoxins, but the mechanism of their action remains obscure. Using the confocal spectral imaging technique, we show for the first time that cytotoxins from cobra venom penetrate readily into living cancer cells and accumulate markedly in lysosomes...

The myocardial effect of snake venoms is considered as one of the most common pathogenesis in many cases of snake envenomation. This study was under taken to investigate the effects of snake (Naja naja oxiana) venom on cardiac function in experimental animals. The blood samples from all the rabbits were collected before venom injection and then 140 µg/kg venom of snake (Naja naja oxiana) was in...

The structure in solution of cardiotoxin III, a membrane toxin purified from the venom of the Taiwan cobra, Naja naja atra, is reported. Sequence-specific assignment of 1H-NMR lines was completed and the NMR data show the presence of a triple and a double-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet. Many NOE cross peaks identified in NOESY spectra were applied as distance constraints based on a hybrid dis...