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Phoneutria nigriventer toxins block tityustoxin-induced calcium influx in synaptosomes
D M Miranda1, M A Romano-Silva, E Kalapothakis
1Departmento de Farmacologia, ICB-UFMG, Belo Horizonte-MG, Brasil.
Neuroreport
|June 19, 1998
Abstract:
Neurotoxins can help the understanding of mechanisms involved in neurotransmission. We here report that two neurotoxin isoforms, Tx3-3 and Tx3-4 obtained from the venom of the spider Phoneutria nigriventer inhibited the 45Ca2+ influx in rat cortical synaptosomes induced by the scorpion venom tityustoxin. The IC50 for Tx3-3 and Tx3-4 were 0.32 and 7.9 nM, respectively. The neurotoxins Tx3-3 and Tx3-4 are very effective in inhibiting 45Ca2+ influx and they should be useful in studies involving Ca(2+)-dependent processes.