The in vivo cardiovascular effects of an Australasian box jellyfish ( Chiropsalmus sp.) venom in rats

• Published in: Toxicon (Oxford) Vol. 45; no. 3; pp. 321 - 327
• Main Authors: Ramasamy, Sharmaine, Isbister, Geoffrey K., Seymour, Jamie E., Hodgson, Wayne C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2005; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Anaesthetized rat; Animal poisons toxicology. Antivenoms; Animals; Antivenins - pharmacology; Antivenom; Biological and medical sciences; Box jellyfish; Cardiovascular; Cardiovascular System - drug effects; Chironex fleckeri; Chiropsalmus; Chiropsalmus sp; Cnidarian; Cnidarian Venoms - antagonists & inhibitors; Cnidarian Venoms - pharmacology; Cubozoa; Cubozoa - physiology; Heart Rate - drug effects; Hypertension - chemically induced; Hypotension - chemically induced; In vivo; Ketanserin; Magnesium sulfate; Magnesium Sulfate - pharmacology; Male; Medical sciences; Nematocyst; Prazosin; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Shock - chemically induced; Toxicology; Australia; Oceania; Chiropsalmus sp; Magnesium sulfate; Box jellyfish; Nematocyst; Cardiovascular; Anaesthetized rat; Cubozoa; In vivo; Prazosin; Antivenom; Cnidarian; Chironex fleckeri; Ketanserin; Rat; Toxicity; Rodentia; Animal origin; Coelenterata; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Venom; Cnidaria; Circulatory system; Invertebrata
• ISSN: 0041-0101; 1879-3150
• DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2004.11.002

Using a new technique to extract venom from the nematocysts of jellyfish, the in vivo cardiovascular effects of Chiropsalmus sp. venom were investigated in anaesthetized rats. Chiropsalmus sp. venom (150 μg/kg, i.v.) produced a transient hypertensive response (44±4 mm Hg; n=6) followed by hypotension and cardiovascular collapse. Concurrent artificial respiration or pretreatment with Chironex fleckeri antivenom (AV, 3000 U/kg, i.v.) did not have any effect on the venom-induced hypertensive response nor the subsequent cardiovascular collapse. The cardiovascular response of animals receiving venom after the infusion of MgSO 4 (50–70 mM @ 0.25 ml/min, i.v.; n=5) alone, or in combination with AV ( n=5), was not significantly different from rats receiving venom alone. Prior administration of prazosin (50 μg/kg, i.v.; n=4) or ketanserin (1 mg/kg, i.v.; n=4) did not significantly attenuate the hypertensive response nor prevent the cardiovascular collapse induced by venom (50 μg/kg, i.v.). In contrast to previous work examining C. fleckeri venom, administration of AV alone, or in combination with MgSO 4, was not effective in preventing cardiovascular collapse following the administration of Chiropsalmus sp. venom. This indicates that the venom of the two related box jellyfish contain different lethal components and highlights the importance of species identification prior to initiating treatment regimes following jellyfish envenoming.