Winter K L, Isbister G K, Seymour J E, Hodgson W C
Monash Venom Group, Department of Pharmacology, Monash University, Vic, Australia.
Toxicon. 2007 May;49(6):804-9. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2006.11.031. Epub 2006 Dec 15.
We have previously characterised the pharmacological activity of a number of jellyfish venoms with a particular emphasis on the profound cardiovascular effects. It has been suggested that jellyfish venoms are difficult to work with and are sensitive to pH, temperature and chemical changes. The current study aimed to examine the working parameters of the venom of the Australian box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri to enable fractionation and isolation of the toxins with cardiovascular activity. C. fleckeri venom was made up fresh each day and subjected to a number of different environments (i.e. a pH range of 5-9 and a temperature range of 4-30 degrees C). In addition, the effect of freeze drying and reconstituting the venom was investigated. Venom (50 microg/kg, i.v.) produced a transient hypertensive response followed by cardiovascular collapse in anaesthetised rats. This biphasic response was not significantly effected by preparation of the venom at a pH of 5, 7 or 9. Similarly, venom (50 microg/kg, i.v.) did not display a loss of activity when exposed to temperatures of 4, 20 or 30 degrees C for 1.5h. However, the cardiovascular activity was abolished by boiling the venom. Freeze drying, and then reconstituting, the venom did not significantly affect its cardiovascular activity. However, repeated freeze drying and reconstituting of extracted venom resulted in a significantly loss of activity. This study provides a more detailed knowledge of the parameters in which C. fleckeri venom can be used and, while supporting some previous studies, contradicts some of the perceived problems of working with the venom.
我们之前已对多种水母毒液的药理活性进行了表征，特别关注其对心血管的显著影响。有人提出，水母毒液难以处理，且对pH值、温度和化学变化敏感。当前研究旨在考察澳大利亚箱形水母（Chironex fleckeri）毒液的工作参数，以便对具有心血管活性的毒素进行分级分离。每天新鲜制备C. fleckeri毒液，并使其处于多种不同环境（即pH值范围为5至9，温度范围为4至30摄氏度）。此外，还研究了冻干和复溶毒液的效果。毒液（50微克/千克，静脉注射）在麻醉大鼠中产生短暂的高血压反应，随后出现心血管衰竭。这种双相反应在pH值为5、7或9的毒液制备条件下未受到显著影响。同样，毒液（50微克/千克，静脉注射）在4、20或30摄氏度下暴露1.5小时后，其活性并未丧失。然而，毒液经煮沸后心血管活性被消除。冻干然后复溶毒液对其心血管活性没有显著影响。然而，对提取的毒液进行反复冻干和复溶会导致活性显著丧失。本研究提供了关于C. fleckeri毒液可使用参数的更详细知识，在支持一些先前研究的同时，也与一些关于处理该毒液时所察觉到的问题相矛盾。
