Utah State University Uintah Basin, 320 N 2000 W Aggie Blvd., Vernal, UT 84078-4228, USA.
Toxicon. 2012 Dec 1;60(7):1307-13. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2012.08.015. Epub 2012 Sep 13.
Blue-ringed octopuses (genus Hapalochlaena) possess the potent neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX). We examined the microdistribution of TTX in ten tissues of Hapalochlaena lunulata and Hapalochlaena fasciata by immunolabeling for fluorescent light microscopy (FLM). We visualized TTX throughout the posterior salivary gland, but the toxin was concentrated in cells lining the secretory tubules within the gland. Tetrodotoxin was present just beneath the epidermis of the integument (mantle and arms) and also concentrated in channels running through the dermis. This was suggestive of a TTX transport mechanism in the blood of the octopus, which would also explain the presence of the toxin in the blood-rich brachial hearts, gills, nephridia, and highly vascularized Needham's sac (testes contents). We also present the first report of TTX in any cephalopod outside of the genus Hapalochlaena. A specimen of Octopus bocki from French Polynesia contained a small amount of TTX in the digestive gland.
蓝环章鱼（Hapalochlaena 属）拥有强效神经毒素——河豚毒素（TTX）。我们通过荧光显微镜免疫标记法（FLM），研究了 Hapalochlaena lunulata 和 Hapalochlaena fasciata 十种组织中 TTX 的微观分布。我们发现，TTX 遍布后唾液腺，但毒素集中在腺体分泌小管内的细胞中。TTX 存在于表皮（外套和臂）之下，也集中在穿过真皮的通道中。这表明章鱼血液中存在 TTX 转运机制，这也解释了富含血液的臂心脏、鳃、肾和高度血管化的 Needham 囊（精巢内容物）中存在毒素的原因。我们还首次报道了 Hapalochlaena 属以外的头足类动物体内存在 TTX。法属波利尼西亚的章鱼 bocki 标本的消化腺中含有少量 TTX。
