Cytokine Storm Induction Linked to Multi‐Organ Failure in Fatal Jellyfish Stings

Fatal jellyfish stings often cause multi-organ failure. Until now, these fatal outcomes are attributed to the direct toxic effects of the venom. Here, a mouse model of delayed jellyfish envenomation syndrome (DJES) is established and showed that venom from Nemopilema nomurai jellyfish can trigger a deadly cytokine storm - a severe inflammatory reaction. Mice injected with the venom displayed acute multi-organ failure and significant upregulation of over 20 pro-inflammatory cytokines (including IL-6, TNF-α, CXCL2, and CCL4) in the heart, liver, and kidneys. Transcriptomic analyses identified NF-κB p65 subunit activation as central to the cytokine storm induction. Knockdown of p65 in macrophages reduced cytokine production and improved cell viability. Treatment with dexamethasone, an NF-κB inhibitor, effectively suppressed the cytokine storm, mitigated organ damage, and increased survival rates in mice. The findings present new insights to treat fatal jellyfish stings.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Science
Published
2025-07-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202501104
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
8.66

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Cytokine Storm Induction Linked to Multi‐Organ Failure in Fatal Jellyfish Stings

Bing Yan, Lingxin Chen, Huiyan Lin, Xin Hou et al.
2 citations
Advanced Science
Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
8.66
article

Cytokine Storm Induction Linked to Multi‐Organ Failure in Fatal Jellyfish Stings

Bing Yan, Lingxin Chen, Huiyan Lin, Xin Hou, Yi Wang, Qing Sun, Yang Feng-ling, Jingbo Chen, Rui Wang, Jing Zhang, Xiaoyu Geng, Jie Lv, Liang Xiao, Yichao Wang, Jinyu Zhang, Chang Liu
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Fatal jellyfish stings often cause multi-organ failure. Until now, these fatal outcomes are attributed to the direct toxic effects of the venom. Here, a mouse model of delayed jellyfish envenomation syndrome (DJES) is established and showed that venom from Nemopilema nomurai jellyfish can trigger a deadly cytokine storm - a severe inflammatory reaction. Mice injected with the venom displayed acute multi-organ failure and significant upregulation of over 20 pro-inflammatory cytokines (including IL-6, TNF-α, CXCL2, and CCL4) in the heart, liver, and kidneys. Transcriptomic analyses identified NF-κB p65 subunit activation as central to the cytokine storm induction. Knockdown of p65 in macrophages reduced cytokine production and improved cell viability. Treatment with dexamethasone, an NF-κB inhibitor, effectively suppressed the cytokine storm, mitigated organ damage, and increased survival rates in mice. The findings present new insights to treat fatal jellyfish stings.

Advanced ScienceVol. 12(37)
Naval Medical Research Command (US), Second Military Medical University (CN), Naval University of Engineering (CN), Guangzhou University (CN), People's Liberation Army 401 Hospital (CN), Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (CN), Pearl River Hydraulic Research Institute (CN), Xian Yang Central Hospital (CN), Jilin Agricultural University (CN)
Shanghai Municipal Health Commission
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
8.66
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.