title: Effect of various factors on Pelagia noctiluca (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa) crude venom-induced haemolysis.
abstract: The haemolytic power of isolated nematocysts from the scyphozoan Pelagia noctiluca was studied with attention to the effect of osmotic protectants as carbohydrates at different MW, cations as Mg2+, Ca2+, Ba2+,Cu2+, K+; proteases as collagenase, trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, papain; and antioxidants. Crude venom was at first obtained by sonication of holotrichous-isorhiza nematocysts previously isolated from oral arms of P. noctiluca and then haemolytically tested upon human erythrocytes. Osmotic protectants were effective in inhibiting the haemolytic power depending on their molecular weight so that total inhibition of crude venom-induced haemolysis was observed after PEG treatment (polyethyleneglycol 6000Da). Amongst divalent cations only Ba2+ and Cu2+ significantly inhibited the haemolytic power of crude venom. Proteases seem not to alter the haemolytic activity while antioxidant compounds only slightly reduced the haemolytic power. Such findings may suggest a pore-forming mechanism for P. noctiluca crude venom rather than an oxidative damage to the cell membrane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences "M. Malpighi", University of Messina, Salita Sperone 31-98166 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morabito
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pizzata
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: La Spada
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D002412:Cations / Q000494:pharmacology; D003064:Cnidarian Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D009995:Osmosis / Q000187:drug effects; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000494:pharmacology; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D037401:Scyphozoa / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D002412:Cations; D003064:Cnidarian Venoms; D020011:Protective Agents; D004492:Edetic Acid; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases