Origin and metabolism of tetrodotoxin in pufferfishes and newts

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Supposing that the origin of tetrodotoxin(TTX)in pufferfishes and newts was exogenous, some studies on the origin and metabolism of TTX in these animals were conducted. 1. Toxicity of 27 species of marine invertebrates collected at Sanriku coast was examined, but no toxic animals were found. 2. To investigate the behavior of TTX in non-toxic cultured puffer fish, TTX was administered intravenously via an intravenous cannula. TTX concentration in the blood was progressively decreased in an hour after the administration, suggesting that TTX might be accumulated in certain organs. 3. A half of TTX administered intraperitoneally in non-toxic cultured pufferfish, was accumulated in liver. 4. Toxicity of a few species of invertebrates collected in a marsh inhabited by newts was examined, but no toxic animals were found. 5. There were remarkable individual and local variations of toxicity in newts. Comparison of the toxicity of newts collected from rice fields at different altitude suggested that the altitude has effects on the toxicity of newts. 6. Toxicity of newts changes with their growth. Adults are very toxic. Larvae are not so toxic. Toxicity of immature newts are not known. 7. The shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus was found to have anti-TTX substances with a high molecular weight in their body fluid. Preinjection of the body fluid into a mouse was effective to some extent in protecting from TTX challenge.