Inhibition of the cytotoxicity of Pelagia noctiluca venom by lanthanum sulfate

Cnidarians exert a meaningful influence on human activities and health being able to produce several local and systemic symptoms on man. Mediterranean jellyfish are scarcely poisonous, but during outbreaks the impact of some of them, such as the Scyphomedusa Pelagia noctiluca, is anyhow noteworthy. As some compounds containing lanthanum ions could act as protective agents the protection of lanthanum sulfate was evaluated on cultured L929 cells treated with three doses (120,000 nematocysts (N)/ml, 240,000 N/ml and 480,000 N/ml) of jellyfish crude venom. The protection was effective against all considered doses of crude venom and showed the maximum of efficacy after preincubation of cells with 10-5M lanthanum sulfate. These results indicate that lanthanum sulfate could be an useful component in preparations devoted to struggle the cutaneous and systemic effects consequent to Pelagia noctiluca stings.