Review Article
Firoz Ahmed, Aamir Javed, Anup
Abstract
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using fluorescent detection following post-column alkaline degradation and a sample preparation procedure for the analysis were established to quantitatively detect tetrodotoxins (TTXs) in gastropods and puffer fishes. The analysis showed 91% recovery of TTXs using the sample preparation described in this article and a wide (10-2000 ng) linear relationship between the tetrodotoxin amount and its fluorescent response. A good correlation between the results of mouse bioassay and HPLC was also obtained in this research. Puffer fish (Diodon liturosus) species from the study area at Burmanala in A & N Island. In the process of tetrodotoxin extraction, methanol was used as the solvent and purified with the help of open column chromatography. The TTX accumulation mechanism in pufferfish can be explained by bioconcentration via the food chain starting from bacteria. It remains to be elucidated how TTX molecules are absorbed, transferred, and retained/eliminated after entering into the pufferfish body via the toxic food organisms.. For example, marine pufferfish and flatworms retain high toxicity in their eggs, and pufferfish and newts are equipped with TTX-secreting glands or cells in their skin , suggesting that TTX is present as a defensive substance to protect their eggs or themselves from external enemies.It was found that the methanol extracts of tetrodotoxin showed better results on Artemia salina larva. Concentrations resulting in 50% mortality tetrodotoxins for 16 hr, were (μg/ml).