Background: Injury by the sting of Lesser weever fish (Trachinus vipera) may lead to severe pain, edema or tissue necrosis. Cellular effects of the venom are still incompletely understood. Previous observations revealed that purified Lesser weever fish venom (LWFV) induces suicidal death of erythrocytes and HCT116 human colon carcinoma cells. The present study addressed the effect of the venom on colon carcinoma cell toxicity, shape and migration both in p53+/+ and/or p53-/- conditions.
Methods: Cells were exposed to medium without or with 500 µg/ ml LWFV. Cell shape, cell area and circularity were visualized and quantified by fluorescence microscopy. Cell volume, granularity and cells toxicity were assessed via the apoptotic parameters dissipation of mitochondrial inner transmembrane potential, phosphatidylserine surface exposure and cell membrane permeabilization were measured utilizing flow cytometry. Cell migration was evaluated using wound healing assay and two-dimensional migration assay.
Results: LWFV treatment was followed by a marked change of cell shape and size, significant decrease of cell area and circularity, significant impairment of cell migration, as well as induction of apoptosis after long exposition.
Conclusions: LWFV exposure leads to cell shrinkage, increased granularity, apoptosis and impairment of cell migration, effects presumably contributing to LWFV-induced tissue injury.
Keywords: Cell volume; Granularity; Lesser weever fish venom; Migration; Mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis; p53.
© 2017 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.