Fingerprint Analysis and Comparison of Activity Differences of Crude Venom from Five Species of Vermivorous Cone Snail in the South China Sea.

The South China Sea is rich in cone snail resources, known for producing conotoxins with diverse biological activities such as analgesic, anticancer, and insecticidal effects. In this study, five vermivorous cone snail samples were collected from the South China Sea and their crude venom was extracted to investigate the variations in venom components and activities, aiming to identify highly active samples for further research. Cluster analysis using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) fingerprints and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene sequences revealed that the diversity of venom components across different conotoxin species is genetically correlated. Activity assays demonstrated that all five cone snail venoms exhibited lethal effects on insects and zebrafish. Notably, the crude venom of showed the highest insecticidal activity with an LD of 0.6 μg/mg, while venom exhibited the most potent zebrafish lethality with an LD of 0.2 μg/mg. Furthermore, the crude venom from four cone snail species demonstrated toxicity against ovarian cancer cells, and only venom displayed significant analgesic activity. This study systematically identifies cone snail samples with promising insecticidal, anticancer, and analgesic properties, paving the way for the development and utilization of cone snail resources from the South China Sea and offering a novel approach for advancing marine peptide drug research.