Tetrodotoxin: Common poison in puffer fish

Tetrodotoxin, often abbreviated as TTX, is a strong neurotoxin. Its name comes from the Puffer Fish, a set of puffer fish, pufferfish, moonfish, and pufferfish; Some species carry toxins.

Puffer fish

Puffer fish (with a place called toad fish, goby, chicken drumstick) with hundreds of species in the world: in the US (called pufferfish), in Japan (called fugu fish) . In Vietnam nearly 70 different species. Puffer fish live in saltwater more than in fresh water. The type of poisonous puffer fish people usually have a body length of 4 - 40cm, firm, short fin, big head, protruding eyes, white meat. Fish toxins are concentrated in the skin, intestines, liver, abdominal muscles, testes and much in the eggs, so females are more poisonous than males and especially in spawning season, the poison is called tetrodotoxin (TTX). .

Tetroditoxin in puffer fish is considered to be one of the most toxic substances for the nervous system.

Tetroditoxin in puffer fish is considered to be one of the most toxic substances for the nervous and cardiovascular systems, but previous scientific studies have shown that this poison can be used to prepare anesthetic and lowering. blood pressure, treatment of bronchitis, stimulation of nervous system, circulatory system and support treatment for drug, alcohol, tobacco addiction .

Some food sources contain tetrodotoxin

In the world today, the problem of poisoning food containing tetrodotoxin, especially puffer poison poisoning has been a prominent situation, causing serious consequences on the health and life of consumers.

In Japan, statistics show that in 10 years (1954-1963), Japan had 1,962 people poisoned by eating puffer fish, of which 1153 people died (87.76% of people infected). Statistics of the World Hygiene and Epidemiology Industry show that the number of poisoning and death from puffer fish is up to 60% of the total number of poisonings caused by eating aquatic products.

In the waters of our country there are many aquatic species capable of creating toxins. There are six types of toxins found in seafood: tetrodotoxin - neurotoxic, ciguatera, DSP - toxin causing diarrhea, PSP - toxin that causes paralysis, NSP - neurotoxic toxin, ASP - toxin causing dementia.

In aquatic species, puffer fish contains the most toxins . Many toxins were found in different parts of the fish, such as in the ovaries with tetrodonin, tetrodonin acid, tetrodotoxin, and hepatoxin in the liver. On the skin and in the blood of fish also found toxic substances. Fish meat is often non-toxic, but when the fish dies, the fish is rotten, poison from the ovary, the liver will seep into fish meat. Then fish meat becomes poisonous.