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Abstract

The phallotoxins, components of the poisonous mushroom Amanita phalloides (for review see Ref. 1), lead to death of experimental animals within a few hours by a characteristic haemorrhagic dystrophy of the liver. On histological examination, this final stage is preceded by a formation of numerous non-fatty vacuoles, which begin at the periphery of the lobule and then extend to the central zone. The pathogenesis of this alteration has been disputed. Lutz et al.2, found that 3[H]desmethylphalloin is strongly bound to plasma membranes of hepatocytes rather than to microsomal or mitochondrial fractions. Some time ago, it was demonstrated in this laboratory, by electron microscopy of isolated membrane preparations, that phalloidin affects the plasma membranes of hepatocytes in vivo and in vitro3. Furthermore, it was shown that 3[H]desmethylphalloin binds mainly to the protein filaments which appear with increased frequency in poisoned plasma membrane fractions4.