Dose-Death Time Curves of Paralytic Shellfish Poisons in ddY Strain Mice

Abstract

Dose-death time curves in ddY strain male mice were established for paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) components: saxitoxin (STX), neoSTX, gonyautoxin 5 (GTX5), a mixture of GTXx and GTX4, a mixture of GTX2 and GTX3, and a mixture of protogonyautoxin 1 (PXJ and PX2. Their curves clearly differed from the curve for STX derived from Sommer's Table. Logarithm of toxicity in mouse units (MU) of these toxin components and reciprocal of death time (sec) of mouse correlated well with each other, irrespective of PSP component. Regression lines for STX, neoSTX, GTX5, a mixture of GTX: and GTX4, and a mixture of GTX2 and GTX3, were statistically indifferent from each other (p>0.05), and were collectively expressed by an equation, y=182Y-~~0.220, in which Y represents the log of toxicity (MU) and X, the reciprocal of death time in sec. Thereby, toxicity (MU) would be calculated according to the following equation; MU = 10