THE NEPHROTOXICITY OF FRACTIONATED COMPONENTS OF AIPYSURUS-LAEVIS VENOM

Six major venom fractions were obtained when crude Aipysurus laevis (O live sea snake) venom was fractionated by standard HPLC techniques. Su bcutaneous doses of between 9.5-20.3 mu g venom/kg body weight were in jected into male Quackenbush mice, showing that all six fractions of A . laevis venom are nephrotoxic, producing renal lesions within 24 hrs and lasting for up to three months. It is postulated that each fractio n contains a nephrotoxic component, suggesting a core or common bioche mical structure, the nature of which is to yet to be determined; and t hose from different fractions may act synergistically. The resulting r enal lesions are no different from those seen in our previous whole ve nom study, but the severity is less and shorter in duration. A signifi cant difference is that after fraction injection, the kidneys returned to normality after two months, with minor segmental glomerulosclerosi s being the only remaining stigma of the previous damage. This is cont rary to the whole venom-induced tubulo-interstitial nephritis with cys tic changes seen after three months of envenomation. All fractions als o increase the granularity of the juxtaglomemlar cells, for reasons un known.