title: Tetrodotoxin: chemistry, toxicity, source, distribution and detection.
abstract: Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a naturally occurring toxin that has been responsible for human intoxications and fatalities. Its usual route of toxicity is via the ingestion of contaminated puffer fish which are a culinary delicacy, especially in Japan. TTX was believed to be confined to regions of South East Asia, but recent studies have demonstrated that the toxin has spread to regions in the Pacific and the Mediterranean. There is no known antidote to TTX which is a powerful sodium channel inhibitor. This review aims to collect pertinent information available to date on TTX and its analogues with a special emphasis on the structure, aetiology, distribution, effects and the analytical methods employed for its detection.
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Research Centre (MSRC) and PROTEOBIO Research Groups, Department of Chemistry, Cork Institute of Technology, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland. vaishali.p.bane@cit.ie.
authors.forename: Vaishali
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bane
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Research Centre (MSRC) and PROTEOBIO Research Groups, Department of Chemistry, Cork Institute of Technology, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland. mary.lehane@cit.ie.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lehane
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Pune, Pune 411007, India. mdikshit@chem.unipune.ernet.in.
authors.forename: Madhurima
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dikshit
authors.affiliation: Nanotechnology Group, Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Lee Maltings, Cork, Ireland. alan.oriordan@tyndall.ie.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: O'Riordan
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Research Centre (MSRC) and PROTEOBIO Research Groups, Department of Chemistry, Cork Institute of Technology, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland. ambrose.furey@cit.ie.
authors.forename: Ambrose
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Furey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D059022:Food Safety; D006801:Humans; D015394:Molecular Structure; D026941:Sodium Channel Blockers / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D026941:Sodium Channel Blockers; D013779:Tetrodotoxin