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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
16:03
A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms
Published on: January 11, 2015
Shellfish poisons
1Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, and Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University, Furo-Cho, Chikusa 464-8602 Nagoya, Japan.
Progress in Molecular and Subcellular Biology
|December 13, 2006
Summary
Marine shellfish poisons, pinnatoxins and pteriatoxins, were isolated from Okinawan bivalves. These compounds exhibit toxicity and activate Ca2+ channels, with pinnaic acid inhibiting cPLA2.
Area of Science:
- Marine natural products chemistry
- Marine pharmacology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Marine organisms are a rich source of novel bioactive compounds.
- Shellfish can accumulate potent toxins, posing risks to human health.
- Understanding these toxins is crucial for public safety and scientific advancement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize novel shellfish poisons from Okinawan bivalves.
- To investigate the bioactivity and structural properties of these marine toxins.
- To provide a comprehensive review of pinnatoxins, pteriatoxins, and related compounds.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and purification of bioactive metabolites from bivalve mollusks.
- Structure elucidation using advanced spectroscopic techniques (2D-NMR, ESI-TOF MS/MS).
- Assessment of acute toxicity in animal models and investigation of ion channel activity.
Main Results:
- Isolation of pinnatoxins (amphoteric polyether compounds) from Pinna muricata, showing acute toxicity and Ca2+ channel activation.
- Identification of novel alkaloids pinnamine and pinnaic acid from P. muricata, with pinnaic acid inhibiting cPLA2.
- Isolation of pteriatoxins, pinnatoxin analogs, from Pteria penguin, with nanomole-order structure determination.
Conclusions:
- Marine bivalves Pinna muricata and Pteria penguin harbor potent and structurally diverse shellfish poisons.
- Pinnatoxins and pteriatoxins represent significant marine toxins with implications for pharmacology and toxicology.
- Further research into the synthesis and biogenesis of these compounds is warranted.
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