Distribution of tritiated tetrodotoxin administered intraperitoneally to pufferfish.
Tetrodotoxin was recoil-tritiated by the 3He(n,p)3H reaction and purified by gel filtration. The [3H]tetrodotoxin gave only one spot in both cellulose acetate strip electrophoresis and thin layer chromatography. The specific toxicity of tetrodotoxin did not decrease during the recoil tritiation and the [3H]tetrodotoxin showed a specific radioactivity of 25 x 10(-6) Ci/mmole. In spite of the low specific radioactivity, the [3H]tetrodotoxin was able to be used to investigate the anatomical distribution of tetrodotoxin in pufferfish. When intraperitoneally injected into 'torafugu' puffer, [3H]tetrodotoxin accumulated in most tissues, the level being highest in the skin, followed by the liver, intestines and muscle. With time, the [3H]tetrodotoxin radioactivity level in the injected pufferfish decreased in most tissues, except for skin and gallbladder. Based on these results, the metabolism of tetrodotoxin in pufferfish is discussed.
Watabe
S
S
Laboratory of Marine Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Sato
Y
Y
Nakaya
M
M
Nogawa
N
N
Oohashi
K
K
Noguchi
T
T
Morikawa
N
N
Hashimoto
K
K
D000818:Animals; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004588:Electrophoresis, Cellulose Acetate; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D013779:Tetrodotoxin