Biomaterial Database

Viscous macromolecules inhibit erythrocyte hemolysis induced by snake venom phospholipase A2. 1987

E Hovav, and D Halle, and S Yedgar

Department of Biochemistry, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel.

The effect of medium viscosity on lysis of red blood cells (RBC) induced by snake venom phospholipase A2 (PLA2) was examined. The medium viscosity was modified by the addition of various macromolecules which differ in their chemical nature and in their capacity to increase fluid viscosity. PLA2 and Ca++ were applied to cells suspended in viscous medium to induce hemolysis. It was found that the hemolysis is inhibited in direct proportion to increasing viscosity of the extracellular fluid. This phenomenon was observed with aggregated as well as disaggregated RBC. To examine whether the viscosity interferes with the accessibility of the enzyme to the cell, the medium viscosity was modified after binding of the enzyme to the cells; PLA2 was added to a RBC suspension in the presence of Ba++ which binds the enzyme to the cell membrane but does not activate it. The cell-enzyme complex was separated by gel filtration and suspended in viscous medium in the presence of Ca++ which activates the reaction. Also in this case RBC lysis was inhibited as the medium viscosity was increased. It is proposed that the action of PLA2 on RBC membrane is regulated by the viscosity of the cell surface aqueous environment.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010740	Phospholipases	A class of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphoglycerides or glycerophosphatidates. EC 3.1.-.	Lecithinases,Lecithinase,Phospholipase
D010741	Phospholipases A	Phospholipases that hydrolyze one of the acyl groups of phosphoglycerides or glycerophosphatidates.
D003470	Culture Media	Any liquid or solid preparation made specifically for the growth, storage, or transport of microorganisms or other types of cells. The variety of media that exist allow for the culturing of specific microorganisms and cell types, such as differential media, selective media, test media, and defined media. Solid media consist of liquid media that have been solidified with an agent such as AGAR or GELATIN.	Media, Culture
D004546	Elapid Venoms	Venoms from snakes of the family Elapidae, including cobras, kraits, mambas, coral, tiger, and Australian snakes. The venoms contain polypeptide toxins of various kinds, cytolytic, hemolytic, and neurotoxic factors, but fewer enzymes than viper or crotalid venoms. Many of the toxins have been characterized.	Cobra Venoms,Elapidae Venom,Elapidae Venoms,Naja Venoms,Cobra Venom,Elapid Venom,Hydrophid Venom,Hydrophid Venoms,King Cobra Venom,Naja Venom,Ophiophagus hannah Venom,Sea Snake Venom,Sea Snake Venoms,Venom, Cobra,Venom, Elapid,Venom, Elapidae,Venom, Hydrophid,Venom, King Cobra,Venom, Naja,Venom, Ophiophagus hannah,Venom, Sea Snake,Venoms, Cobra,Venoms, Elapid,Venoms, Elapidae,Venoms, Hydrophid,Venoms, Naja,Venoms, Sea Snake
D004903	Erythrocyte Aggregation	The formation of clumps of RED BLOOD CELLS under low or non-flow conditions, resulting from the attraction forces between the red blood cells. The cells adhere to each other in rouleaux aggregates. Slight mechanical force, such as occurs in the circulation, is enough to disperse these aggregates. Stronger or weaker than normal aggregation may result from a variety of effects in the ERYTHROCYTE MEMBRANE or in BLOOD PLASMA. The degree of aggregation is affected by ERYTHROCYTE DEFORMABILITY, erythrocyte membrane sialylation, masking of negative surface charge by plasma proteins, etc. BLOOD VISCOSITY and the ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE are affected by the amount of erythrocyte aggregation and are parameters used to measure the aggregation.	Erythrocyte Aggregation, Intravascular,Agglutination, Intravascular,Intravascular Agglutination,Intravascular Erythrocyte Aggregation,Rouleaux Formation, Erythrocyte,Agglutinations, Intravascular,Aggregation, Erythrocyte,Aggregation, Intravascular Erythrocyte,Aggregations, Erythrocyte,Aggregations, Intravascular Erythrocyte,Erythrocyte Aggregations,Erythrocyte Aggregations, Intravascular,Erythrocyte Rouleaux Formation,Erythrocyte Rouleaux Formations,Formation, Erythrocyte Rouleaux,Formations, Erythrocyte Rouleaux,Intravascular Agglutinations,Intravascular Erythrocyte Aggregations,Rouleaux Formations, Erythrocyte
D004912	Erythrocytes	Red blood cells. Mature erythrocytes are non-nucleated, biconcave disks containing HEMOGLOBIN whose function is to transport OXYGEN.	Blood Cells, Red,Blood Corpuscles, Red,Red Blood Cells,Red Blood Corpuscles,Blood Cell, Red,Blood Corpuscle, Red,Erythrocyte,Red Blood Cell,Red Blood Corpuscle
D006461	Hemolysis	The destruction of ERYTHROCYTES by many different causal agents such as antibodies, bacteria, chemicals, temperature, and changes in tonicity.	Haemolysis,Extravascular Hemolysis,Intravascular Hemolysis,Extravascular Hemolyses,Haemolyses,Hemolyses, Extravascular,Hemolyses, Intravascular,Hemolysis, Extravascular,Hemolysis, Intravascular,Intravascular Hemolyses
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014783	Viscosity	The resistance that a gaseous or liquid system offers to flow when it is subjected to shear stress. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Viscosities
D046911	Macromolecular Substances	Compounds and molecular complexes that consist of very large numbers of atoms and are generally over 500 kDa in size. In biological systems macromolecular substances usually can be visualized using ELECTRON MICROSCOPY and are distinguished from ORGANELLES by the lack of a membrane structure.	Macromolecular Complexes,Macromolecular Compounds,Macromolecular Compounds and Complexes,Complexes, Macromolecular,Compounds, Macromolecular,Substances, Macromolecular