Summary
The cardiac activity of toxin II, a basic polypeptide (m.w.: 4770) from the sea anemone Anemonia sulcata, was investigated in isolated electrically driven guinea-pig and rat auricles, Langendorff heart preparations of guinea-pigs and cat heart-lung preparations.
Low concentrations of toxin II (2–100 nM) evoked a dose-dependent positive inotropic effect in the three different heart muscle preparations investigated.
Higher concentrations of toxin II produced toxic symptoms like contracture and arrhythmia in auricles and atria (about 25 nM). In isolated cat hearts high toxin II concentrations (about 160 nM) caused unusual toxic symptoms such as long periods of ventricular fibrillation alternating with periods of normal cardiac activity.
In rat and guinea-pig auricles as well as in Langendorff hearts of guinea-pigs the extent and rate of the positive inotropic effect induced by toxin II depended on the extracellular calcium concentration (0.45 to 2.7 mM).
Toxin II did not alter the heart rate in spontaneously beating isolated cat hearts.
In electrically driven guinea-pig auricles, the rate of the inotropic effect induced by toxin II was accelerated by increasing stimulation frequencies.
Toxin II did not change the coronary flow in Langendorff heart preparations of guinea-pigs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alsen, C.: Cardiotoxic effect of two toxins isolated from the sea anemone. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 287, R105 (1975)
Alsen, C., Reinberg, T.: Characterization of the pharmacological and toxicological actions of two toxins isolated from the sea anemone Anemonia sulcata. Bull. Inst. Pasteur 74, 117–119 (1976)
Béress, L., Béress, R., Wunderer, G.: Isolation and characterization of three polypeptides with neurotoxic activity from Anemonia sulcata. FEBS Letters 50, 311–314 (1975)
Böttcher, H., Lüllmann, H., Proppe, D.: Comparison of digoxin with some digitoxin metabolites on cat heart-lung preparation. Europ. J. Pharmacol. 22, 109–111 (1973)
Condrea, E.: Membrane-active polypeptides from snake venom: cardiotoxins and hemocytotoxins. Experientia (Basel) 30, 121–129 (1974)
Carrier, G. O., Lüllmann, H., Neubauer, L., Peters, T.: The significance of a fast exchanging superficial calcium fraction for the regulation of contractile force in heart muscle. J. molec. cell. Cardiol. 6, 333–347 (1974)
Coraboeuf, E., Deroubaix, E., Tazieff-Depierre, F.: Effect of toxin II isolated from scorpion venom on action potential and contraction of mammalian heart. J. molec. cell. Cardiol. 7, 643–653 (1975)
Fozard, I. R., Muscholl, E.: A useful muscarinic parameter and the differential recording of atrial and ventricular tension in the perfused rabbit heart. Naunyn-Schmiedebergs Arch. Pharmacol. 270, 319–325 (1971)
Fritz, J., Brey, B., Béress, L.: Polyvalente Inhibitoren für Trypsin, Chymotrypsin, Plasmin und Kallikreine aus Seeanemonen (Anemonia sulcata), Isolierung, Hemmverhalten und Aminosäurezusammensetzung. Hoppe-Seylers Z. physiol. Chem. 353, 19–30 (1972)
Ho, C.-L., Lee, C. Y., Lu, H. H.: Electrophysiological effects of cobra cardiotoxin on rabbit heart cells. Toxicon 13, 437–446 (1975)
Langendorff, O.: Untersuchungen am überlebenden Säugetierherzen, II. Abhandlung. Über den Einfluß von Wärme und Kälte auf das Herz der warmblütigen Tiere. Pflügers Arch. ges. Physiol. 66, 355–400 (1897)
Lee, C. Y., Chang, C. C., Chiu, T. H., Chiu, P. J. S., Tseng, T. C., Lee, S. Y.: Pharmacological properties of cardiotoxin isolated from Formosan cobra venom. Naunyn-Schmiedebergs Arch. Pharmak. 259, 360–374 (1968)
Lin, J. Y., Jeng, T. W., Chen, C. C., Shi, G. Y., Tung, T. C.: Isolation of a new cardiotoxic protein from edible mushroom, Volvariella volvacea. Nature (Lond.) 246, 524–525 (1973)
Lin, J. Y., Lin, Y. J., Chen, C. C., Wu, H. L., Shi, G. Y., Jeng, T. W.: Cardiotoxic protein from edible mushrooms. Nature (Lond.) 252, 235–237 (1974)
Lin Shiau, S. Y., Huang, M. C., Lee, C. Y.: A study of cardiotoxic principles from the venom of Bungarus Fasciatus (Schneider). Toxicon 13, 189–196 (1975)
Lüllmann, H., Peters, T.: Cardiac glycosides and contractility. Advanc. Cardiol. 12, 174–182 (1974)
Lüllmann, H., Peters, T., Preuner, J., Rüther, T.: Influence of ouabain and dihydroouabain on the circular dichroism of cardiac plasmalemmal microsomes. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 290, 1–19 (1975)
Mason, D. T., Zelis, R., Amsterdam, E. A.: Bewertung der Kontraktilität des menschlichen Herzens. Triangel (De.) 9, 273–281 (1971)
Mitchell, J. H., Wallace, a. G., Skinner, N. S., Jr.: Intrinsic effects of heart rate on left ventricular performance. Amer. J. Physiol. 205, 41–48 (1963)
Narahashi, T., Moore, J. W., Shapiro, B. J.: Condylactis toxin: interaction with nerve membrane ionic conductance. Science 163, 680–681 (1969)
Patterson, S. W., Starling, E. H.: On the mechanical factors which determine the output of the ventricles. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 48, 357–379 (1914)
Rathmayer, W., Béress, L., Jessen, B.: On the effect of purified toxins of two sea anemone species (Coelenterata) on neuromuscular transmission in the crayfish. Naturwissenschaften 62, 538 (1975)
Ravens, U.: Electrophysiological changes accompanying the positive inotropic effect of toxin II isolated from Anemonia sulcata. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 293, R20 (1976)
Reuter, H.: Exchange of calcium ions in the mammalian myocardium. Mechanisms and physiological significance. Circulat. Res. 34, 599–605 (1974)
Romey, G., Lazdunski, M.: Scorpion and sea anemone neurotoxin actions on axonal membranes. 5. Int. Biophys. Congr. Copenhagen, Abstr. P 503 (1975)
Shibata, S., Norton, T. R., Izumi, T., Matsuo, T., Katsuki, S.: A polypeptide (AP-A) from sea anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) with potent cardiotoxic action. Pharmacologist 17, 218 (1975)
Shotzberger, G. S., Albuquerque, E. X., Daly, J. W.: The effects of batrachotoxin on cat papillary muscle. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 196, 433–444 (1976)
Sonnenblick, E. H., Morrow, A. G., Williams, J. F., Jr.: Effects of heart rate on the dynamics of force development in the intact human ventricle. Circulation 33, 949–951 (1966)
Toom, P. M., Larsen, J. B., Chan, D. S., Pepper, D. A., Price, W.: Cardiac effects of Stomolophus meleagris (cabbage head jelly fish) toxin. Toxicon 13, 159–164 (1975)
Turner, R. J., Freeman, S. E.: Effects of Chinorex Fleckeri toxin on the isolated perfused guinea pig heart. Toxicon 7, 277–286 (1969)
Wallace, A. G., Skinner, N. S., Jr., Mitchell, J. H.: Hemodynamic determinants of the maximal rate of rise of left ventricular pressure. Amer. J. Physiol. 205, 30–36 (1963)
Wunderer, G.: Biologisch aktive Polypeptide aus der Seeanemone (Anemonia sulcata). Neurotoxine und breitspezifische Proteinase-Inhibitoren: Isolierung, Charakterisierung, Sequenzen. Dissertation, München 1975
Wunderer, G., Kummer, K., Fritz, H., Béress, L., Machleidt, W.: Broad specifity inhibitors from sea anemones. In Bayer Symposium V. Proteinase Inhibitors (H. Fritz, H. Tschesche, L. J. Green, and E. Truscheit, eds.), pp. 277–281. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1974
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Alsen, C., Béress, L., Fischer, K. et al. The action of a toxin from the sea Anemone Anemonia sulcata upon mammalian heart muscles. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 295, 55–62 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00509773
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00509773