Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of jellyfish venoms on two different colon cancer cell lines and to compare their activity with that observed in a healthy colon cell line used as a control. Venoms were isolated from specimens of Aurelia aurita , Rhopilema nomadica , and Anemonia sulcata collected in their natural habitats. These venoms were applied to HT29 and Caco2 colon cancer cell lines, as well as to the CCD18co healthy colon cell line cultured in vitro. The IC₅₀ values of the venoms were determined using the MTT assay. Given the IC₅₀ results, A. aurita displayed the highest cytotoxic potency, R. nomadica showed a moderate and cell line–dependent effect, and A. sulcata exhibited a delayed, high-dose cytotoxicity profile, becoming clearly evident at 72 h. Based on these results, Annexin-V, ROS, and MMP analyses were performed to investigate the mechanisms of cell death. Our findings showed that A. aurita venom was more effective on HT29 cells after 48 h and caused minimal damage to CCD18co healthy cells. A. sulcata venom exhibited cytotoxic effects on HT29 cells at both 48 and 72 h, while exerting limited toxicity on healthy CCD18co cells. R. nomadica venom showed cytotoxicity on Caco2 cells at 48 h. Among the three venoms, R. nomadica exhibited the highest cytotoxic effect on CCD18co healthy colon cells. In conclusion, venoms from all three Cnidarian species demonstrated cytotoxic effects on two different colon cancer cell lines. The cytotoxicity was found to be apoptosis-related. Moreover, the venoms showed selective activity across different cancer cell lines.
Azaiez et al. (Thu,) studied this question.