Selectivity of the membrane action of a cytotoxin from the venom of the Central Asian cobra

It has been shown that the selectivity of the direct hemolytic effect of the cytotoxin on different erythrocytes correlates with its influence on the ionic permeability of the membranes of these erythrocytes. It has been established on bilayer phospholipid membranes that the influence of the cytotoxin on their ionic permeability depends on the amount of cholesterol in them. It is assumed that the resistance of the cells to the cytotoxin is determined by the stability of the phospholipid backbone of their membranes.