Abstract
To investigate pufferfish accumulation, elimination, and distribution of tetrodotoxin (TTX), Takifugu obscurus was fed with wild TTX-containing gastropod Nassarius semiplicata to simulate the natural food chain. Three-month-old non-poisonous T. obscurus was fed with wild toxic N. semiplicata at three exposure dose for 28 days, and later, with toxin-free food until day 67. Three fish individuals from each treatment were sampled, and the distribution of TTX in different tissues was measured. The results showed that the accumulation ratio of TTX in the three exposure dose groups ranged from 35.76% to 40.20%. The accumulation ratio in the skin and liver was the highest amongst all tissues, accounting for more than 85% of the total TTX, whereas that in the kidney and gallbladder was the lowest (0.11–0.78%). Studies on the kinetic of TTX accumulation and elimination revealed that the skin was the tissue with the highest accumulation speed constant (8.06), while the liver, kidney, and intestinal tract showed the highest speed of TTX elimination. The time required for TTX reduction to reach the safety limit could be predicted by using standard elimination equations. Qualitative analysis by UPLC-MS/MS revealed the occurrence of seven TTX derivatives in T. obscurus; of these TTX, 5-deoxy TTX, 11-deoxy TTX, 4,9-anhydro TTX were found in all tested tissues.
Highlights
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a heterocyclic organic perhydroquinazoline compound that was initially isolated from wild Tetraodontidae by Tahara in 1909 [1,2,3,4]
The accumulation of TTX by T. obscurus was evaluated by comparing the actual intake and feeding amount at the end of the accumulation period
The above results showed that TTX could be accumulated more efficiently in T. obscurus under low-dose exposure, but there was no linear relationship between TTX accumulation and the exposure dose
Summary
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a heterocyclic organic perhydroquinazoline compound that was initially isolated from wild Tetraodontidae by Tahara in 1909 [1,2,3,4]. TTX has the chemical formula of C11 H17 O8 N3 and a low molecular weight of 319 [5]. TTX, mainly found in pufferfish, is a chemical with high stability. There have been cases of poisoning and even death caused by eating poisonous pufferfish [10,11,12,13,14,15,16]. To maintain seafood safety and a healthy development of the pufferfish industry, health authorities in Japan have set an acceptable limit of TTX of < 10 MU/g in edible parts of pufferfish [16] and a regulatory limit in seafood of 2000 μg/kg [9,10]. There are no food regulations concerning TTX in the United States of America [17]
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