Aspirin and heparin prevent hepatic blood stasis and thrombosis induced by the toxic glycoprotein Bolesatine in mice.

Bolesatine is a toxic glycoprotein isolated from Boletus satanas Lenz, which inhibits protein synthesis in vivo and in vitro. The LD50 (24 h) is 1 mg /kg bw (i.p.), in mice and rats. When given i.p. to mice (0.1 - 1.0 mg/kg bw) bolesatine induced thrombi and blood stasis in the liver, 5 - 21 h after injection, and modifications of the number of blood corpuscles in peripheral blood. These effects were efficiently reversed by aspirin, ticlopidin and heparin (as attested by histology and electron microscopy) which however failed to prevent death in animals given lethal doses. Together, these results showed that the death of bolesatine poisoned animals given high doses, was rather due to a combination of thrombosis and other toxic effects. In addition, they suggest that these antithrombotic drugs may overcome cases of human poisoning, with low exposures of this boletus, showing a hypertension probably due to mechanical obstruction which resists normal therapy.