College of Marine Sciences, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Beibu Gulf Ocean Development Research Centre, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China; Beijing Commerce and Trade School, Beijing 100162, China.
College of Marine Sciences, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Beibu Gulf Ocean Development Research Centre, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2022 Nov;184:114195. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114195. Epub 2022 Oct 6.
Horseshoe crabs (HSCs) are a group of ancient chelicerates with great ecological and biomedical importance. Food poisonings caused by the consumption of Asian HSCs have significant impacts on public health and safety. This study measured tetrodotoxin (TTX) concentrations in two HSC species across various life stages in May 2020 from the northern Beibu Gulf, their most important spawning and nursery habitats in China. The average TTX contents in both Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus tridentatus ranged 6.2-8.0 μg/kg and 3.8-8.4 μg/kg, respectively. While sampling location, growth and molt stages have little influence on TTX distribution in both species, significantly higher levels of TTX were detected in hemolymph, but lower in pooled tissues of early-instar juvenile T. tridentatus. These results provide a regional view of TTX occurrence and distribution in HSCs during their spawning season, which are critical for future studies to enhance understanding of TTX dynamics and formation in HSCs.
马蹄蟹（HSCs）是一类具有重要生态和生物医学意义的古老螯肢动物。食用亚洲马蹄蟹导致的食物中毒对公众健康和安全有重大影响。本研究于 2020 年 5 月在北部湾（中国最重要的马蹄蟹产卵和育幼栖息地）的两个马蹄蟹物种的各个生命阶段测量了河豚毒素（TTX）浓度。两种 Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda 和 Tachypleus tridentatus 的平均 TTX 含量分别为 6.2-8.0μg/kg 和 3.8-8.4μg/kg。虽然采样地点、生长和蜕皮阶段对两种物种的 TTX 分布影响不大，但在血液中检测到的 TTX 水平明显更高，而在早期幼体 T. tridentatus 的混合组织中则较低。这些结果提供了在马蹄蟹产卵季节 TTX 在马蹄蟹中的存在和分布的区域视图，这对于未来的研究增强对 TTX 在马蹄蟹中的动态和形成的理解至关重要。
