Exploiting the Nephrotoxic Effects of Venom from the Sea Anemone, Phyllodiscus semoni, to Create a Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Model in the Rat

Abstract

In the natural world, there are many creatures with venoms that have interesting and varied activities. Although the sea anemone, a member of the phylum Coelenterata , has venom that it uses to capture and immobilise small fishes and shrimp and for protection from predators, most sea anemones are harmless to man. However, a few species are highly toxic; some have venoms containing neurotoxins, recently suggested as potential immune-modulators for therapeutic application in immune diseases. Phyllodiscus semoni is a highly toxic sea anemone; the venom has multiple effects, including lethality, hemolysis and renal injuries. We previously reported that venom extracted from Phyllodiscus semoni induced acute glomerular endothelial injuries in rats resembling hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), accompanied with complement dysregulation in glomeruli and suggested that the model might be useful for analyses of pathology and development of therapeutic approaches in HUS. In this mini-review, we describe in detail the venom-induced acute renal injuries in rat and summarize how the venom of Phyllodiscus semoni could have potential as a tool for analyses of complement activation and therapeutic interventions in HUS.

Renal effects of Bunodosoma caissarum crude extract: Prostaglandin and endothelin involvement

“…Several types of land animals produce natural toxins that are harmful to humans. In marine/aquatic environments, people have been injured by aquatic animals in various situations (Mizuno et al, 2012). Cnidarians are the oldest extant lineage of venomous animals.…”

“…Some venoms or their components are highly toxic for humans and can rarely cause multiple-organ failure and lethal shock (Mizuno et al, 2012). Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) has been reported after sea anemone envenomation (Mizuno et al, 2000).…”

Structural features of cysteine-rich polypeptides from sea anemone venoms

“…That was precisely the reason, together with the fact that sea anemones were safe for humans, why their venoms were investigated thoroughly and a large num ber of promising polypeptide components were dis covered with a potential to be used as pharmaceutical drugs and molecular tools for the investigation of var ious biological targets [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Both the structure and biological function were determined for many polypeptides.…”

Fishermen’s Perspective on Herpetofauna: A Case Study from Kuala Tungkal, Tanjung Jabung Barat, Jambi

“…The venom of sea snake caused deaths with symptoms of ATN (Acute Tubular Necrosis) and renal ischemia [14]. Local people performed traditional medicine to treat the snake bite victim with consuming traditional Chinese medicine consists of some pills and mineral water.…”