• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.39 no.5
• /
• pp.444-451
• /
• 2024

The tissue distribution of tetrodotoxin (TTX) and its analogs in farmed Takifugu rubripes pufferfish sold in Korean markets was determined using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. The method detection limit for TTX ranged from 0.019 to 0.022 mg/kg in high-fat and low-fat matrices. The intra-day (n = 5) and inter-day (3 d, n = 15) accuracy and precision results met the Codex guidelines. Tetrodotoxin was not detected in most of the analyzed tissue samples. In the farmed T. rubripes tissues, TTX levels reached a maximum of 0.07 mg/kg in the liver. Among the TTX analogs, dideoxyTTX, trideoxyTTX, and norTTX were detected in all samples. This study contributes to the database of marine toxicity information for farmed Takifugu species sold in Korean markets.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.39 no.5
• /
• pp.436-443
• /
• 2024

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin responsible for pufferfish poisoning. The tissue distribution of TTX and its analogs in Takifugu porphyreus pufferfish sold in the Korean market was determined using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The method detection limit for TTX was 0.006-0.009 mg/kg in high-fat and low-fat matrices. The intra-day (n = 5) and inter-day (3 days, n = 15) accuracy and precision results met the Codex guidelines. The ovaries of T. porphyreus pufferfish showed higher levels of TTX (up to 67.7 mg/kg) and its analogs compared to other tissues. Lower levels of TTX (non-detectable to 1.10 mg/kg) were found in the muscle and testis tissues, usually the edible parts of the pufferfish, than in other tissues. TrideoxyTTX was the major TTX analog across all tissues. This study contributes to the database of marine toxicity information on T. porphyreus species sold in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.612-617
• /
• 2008

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) analogues were first determined from the liver extracts of puffer fish, Takifugu niphobles, by LC/MS with Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography (HILIC). In total, 7 TTX analogues were detected within 20 minutes as follows; 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX (34.0%, 1,029.6 nmol/g), 6,11-dideoxyTTX (29.3%, 887.6 nmol/g), TTX (22.1%, 667.8 nmol/g), 4,9-anhydro-TTX (11.2%, 339.3 nmol/g), 11-deoxyTTX＋5-deoxyTTX (2.6%, 78.6 nmol/g), and 4-epiTTX (0.8%, 23.6 nmol/g). Mouse toxicity of diluted liver extracts showed the highest toxicity at pH 3 (8.7 MU/mL) and decreased, as increasing pH, to 1.4 MU/mL at pH 10. At acidic (pH 5) and neutral conditions (pH 7), mouse toxicity of liver extracts (79 MU/mL) decreased slowly, as increasing temperature from $80^{\circ}C$ to $115^{\circ}C$, and time until 1 hour; in contrast, at the akaline condition (pH 9), the toxicity decreased rapidly to the more than half within 10 minutes. Individual toxicity of the fillet of T. niphobles were between $43.2{\sim}106.7$ MU, and $64{\sim}78%$ of its toxicity was eluted to soup when boiled with 3 volumes of water during 10 minutes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.725-730
• /
• 2017

A heteronemertean, Yininemertes pratensis, was collected in Han River Estuary, South Korea. This estuarine nemertean has been known by the local fishermen for harmful effects to the glass eels, juveniles of Japanese eel Anguilla japonica, migrating to fresh water. The present study confirmed the neurotoxic effects of this heteronemertean ribbon worm at the cellular level. Derivative types of neurotoxic tetrodotoxin (TTX), 5,11-dideoxy TTX (m/z 288) and 11-norTTX-6(S)-01 (m/z 305.97), were identified through HPLC and MALDI-TOF MS. However, significant neurotoxicity was confirmed in the fraction containing an undefined molecule corresponding to the 291.1 (m/z) peak, when tested in rat primary astrocytes and dorsal ganglion cells. This study is the first to report neurotoxins of the estuarine nemertean, fairly abundant in the Han River estuary, and suggests the long-term monitoring of population dynamics and surveillance of the toxicity in this river estuary.