Toxic effects of phallolysin from amanita phalloides

Phallolysin, a protein from Amanita phalloides with cytolytic effects in vitro, was highly toxic when given intravenously to rats, mice, rabbits and guinea pigs: i.v. LD50 in rats was 85 Haemolytic Units (HU)/kg, corresponding to 0.05 mg protein/kg b.w. Death ensued from intravascular haemolysis. In rats large doses (600 HU/kg b.w.) caused cardiac death within a few minutes due to liberation of potassium from lysed cells. The serum contained lethal concentrations of potassium. There was also histological evidence of severe renal damage as a result of the haemolysis. In addition, phallolysin directly damaged the isolated guinea pig heart and the isolated rat liver, probably by its action on membranes. Given by mouth, phallolysin was not poisonous to rats.