TOXICITY OF SEA NETTLE (CHRYSAORA-QUINQUECIRRHA) FISHING TENTACLE NEMATOCYST VENOM IN CULTURED RAT HEPATOCYTES

Sea nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha) venom (CQV) is known to be toxic to the cardiac, respiratory, renal and hepatic systems in animal model s. However, the mechanism of toxicity of CQV on hepatocytes is unknown . We utilized isolated rat hepatocytes in culture and measured percent age total lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release after direct exposure to CQV. Toxicity of CQV in this system produced a linear multiple-dose r esponse curve as well as a linear single-dose kinetics curve. Neither extracellular calcium concentration nor intracellular calcium chelatio n had a statistically significant effect on the toxicity of CQV in our hepatocyte model. From these results it appears that CQV does not for m large membrane channels similar to complement, nor does calcium appe ar to play a major role in the mechanism of toxicity in hepatocytes. T he isolated rat hepatocyye culture and measure of LDH release provided a relatively simple and reproducible model for examining toxicity of CQV. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd