Direct cardiac toxicity of the tentacle-only extract from the jellyfish Cyanea capillata demonstrated in isolated rat heart.

Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that the cardiotoxicity is the main reason for rat death caused by tentacle-only extract from jellyfish Cyanea capillata. However, the direct cardiotoxicity in vitro and its mechanisms of toxic action remain unclear. The current studies were performed by using the Langendorff-perfused isolated heart model, which showed a dose-dependent hemodynamic and electrocardiogram changes. Heart injury-related enzymes increased. Histopathological analysis showed early ischemic damage in the myocardium. The Ca channel blockers nifedipine and verapamil led to a marked improvement in recovery of cardiac function, including heart rate, left ventricular developed pressure, positive and negative first derivatives of intraventricular pressure, coronary flow, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and electrocardiogram changes. Tentacle-only extract-induced cardiac dysfunction could be partly improved by the pretreatments of both propranolol and phentolamine, but not by either atropine or neostigmine at all. In conclusion, we have verified the direct cardiotoxicity of tentacle-only extract from jellyfish C. capillata by the Langendorff isolated heart model, which consisted of 3 separate parts: sinoatrial node malfunction, cardiomyocyte injury, and coronary spasm. The potential mechanism might be attributed to the overactivation of L-type Ca channel, β- and α-adrenergic receptors, but not cholinergic receptors.