title: Tetrodotoxin levels in pufferfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) caught in the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea.
abstract: The toxicity of tetrodotoxin (TTX) in pufferfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) from Mersin Bay in the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea was measured using a mouse bioassay (MBA) and LC-MS-MS. Pufferfish were caught by trawl fishing, longlining and fishing line from December 2012 to October 2013. Changes in the levels of TTX in the gonads, livers, intestines, skins and muscles as a function of season and sex were determined. The gonads of female fish were toxic in all seasons (>2μg/g), whereas the gonads of male fish were only toxic in the spring and autumn. The highest TTX levels in gonads, livers, intestines and skins of female fish were 52.1, 46.2, 7.64 and 3.43μg/g, respectively, using LC-MS-MS. The TTX level in the muscle of female fish in winter was 2.83μg/g but was otherwise below the toxic limit. Consequently, it can be dangerous to consume pufferfish, including the edible muscle, from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Seafood Processing Technology, Faculty of Fisheries, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Rıza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Kosker
authors.affiliation: Department of Seafood Processing Technology, Faculty of Fisheries, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey. Electronic address: fozogul@cu.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Özogul
authors.affiliation: Department of Seafood Processing Technology, Faculty of Fisheries, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Durmus
authors.affiliation: Department of Seafood Processing Technology, Faculty of Fisheries, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yılmaz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ucar
authors.affiliation: Department of Seafood Processing Technology, Faculty of Fisheries, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ayas
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7201, USA.
authors.forename: Joe M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Regenstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Seafood Processing Technology, Faculty of Fisheries, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yesim
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Özogul
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D023721:Tetraodontiformes / Q000378:metabolism*; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D013779:Tetrodotoxin
keywords: Lagocephalus sceleratus; Northeastern Mediterranean; Pufferfish; Silver stripe blaasop; Tetrodotoxin; Tetrodotoxin (PubChem CID: 6324668)