Venom characterization and toxicology of box jellyfish chironex indrasaksajiae

Abstract

Box jellyfish is considered one of the most venomous animals. The genus Chironex (C. indrasaksajiae) is a multi-tentacle box jellyfish found in Thai waters that are dangerous to humans, particularly the venom that could cause death within minutes. This study aimed to perform a proteomic approach to characterize the protein components of C. indrasaksajiae venom. A total of 532 unique protein groups were identified, including toxins and proteins essential for nematocyte development and nematocyst formation (nematogenesis). Toxins CfTX-1 and CfTX-2, with sequence coverage of 39.3 percent and 34.8 percent, respectively, are the most abundant in the venom of C. indrasaksajiae. The CfTX-like proteins are members of a group of potent toxins unique to Cnidaria. These toxins are linked with cytolytic, hemolytic, inflammatory, dermonecrotic, and deadly activities. This work is the first to describe the cubozoan jellyfish venom proteome and sheds light on the range and diversity of protein toxins produced by this dangerous box jellyfish. Furthermore, our findings indicated that the venom had strong hemolytic activity that demonstrated 100-fold more potently hemolytic activity (HU50) than C. fleckeri which is currently mentioned as the most lethal animal on the planet. Current therapies focus on symptom alleviation after envenomation. Therefore, effective treatments are required to lower the death rates associated with cnidarian envenomation. Copper gluconate showed the potent inhibitory effect on the hemolysis induced by C. indrasaksajiae venom. The considerable inhibition of hemolytic activity following cubozoan stinging by copper gluconate-based products represents a novel and effective therapeutic approach for the treatment of cnidarian envenomation. Heat also influenced the hemolytic activity induced by C. indrasaksajiae venom. At 37°C and 45 °C, the temperatures appropriate for such inactivation of the venom activity. This work provides an enhanced understanding of C. indrasaksajiae box jellyfish venom that can be used for future comparative studies, toxin evolution analysis, and drug discovery.