Acute lung injury induced by Lª²amino acid oxidase purified from Agkistrodon blomhoffii ussurensis venom

    WEI Xiaoª²Long, WEI Jiª²Fu, HUANG Tian, CHEN Qiuª²Yu, LIU Yueª²Ning, HE Shaoª²Heng

    Research Institute of Allergy and Inflammation, Medical College, Shantou University, Shantou 515031, China

    ¡¾Abstract¡¿AIM: To purify the Lª²amino acid oxidase from Agkistrodon blomhoffii ussurensis venom and study its effect on lung. METHODS: An Lª²amino acid oxidase was purified from the snake venom of Agkistrodon blomhoffii ussurensis (ABUª²LAO) by using a combination of Heparinª²Sepharose FF column and Qª²Sepharose HP column. The BALB/c mice were injected iv with 50, 5, 0.5 ¦Ìg ABUª²LAO or saline. At 6 or 24 h following injection, mice were sacrificed and the lungs were dissected. Sections (4 ¦Ìm) were prepared and stained with hematoxylinª²eosin for light microscopic observation. The mean numbers of red blood cells (RBCs), intraª²alveolar polymorphonuclear leucocytes (IAPLs), alveolar septa polymorphonuclear leucocytes (ASPLs) in a highpower field and mean alveolar cavity area (MACA) with image software were calculated. RESULTS: ABUª²LAO was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The molecular weight of the enzyme is 60 kD when examined by SDSª²polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The calculations of RBCs, IAPLs, ASPLs and MACA in mice treated with ABUª²LAO were significantly higher than those treated with saline (P<0.0125). CONCLUSION: ABUª²LAO was purified by a twoª²step chromatographic process. The enzyme can induce serious acute lung injury when being injected into mice. ......