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. 1997 Mar 15;339(2):362-7.
doi: 10.1006/abbi.1997.9898.

Stimulation of calcium influx and platelet activation by canatoxin: methoxyverapamil inhibition and downregulation by cGMP

F A Ghazaleh  1 , I M Francischetti, M E Gombarovits, C R Carlini
Affiliations

Stimulation of calcium influx and platelet activation by canatoxin: methoxyverapamil inhibition and downregulation by cGMP

F A Ghazaleh et al. Arch Biochem Biophys. .

Abstract

Canatoxin (CNTX), a toxic protein isolated from seeds of Canavalia ensiformis, induces Ca2+ influx across the platelet plasma membrane, mobilization of arachidonic acid mediated by phospholipase A2, ATP secretion, and platelet aggregation. All these events depend on the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and are blocked by methoxyverapamil, a calcium-channel blocker. CNTX does not activate phospholipase C, and the intracellular calcium mobilization mediated by IP3 does not play a role in platelet activation by this toxin. Preincubation of rabbit platelets with 8-Br-cGMP inhibited the CNTX-evoked calcium influx, arachidonate release, ATP secretion, and cell aggregation. Our data suggest that the calcium influx is a prior step on platelet activation by CNTX, being modulated by cGMP.

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