Studies on the mode of action of ciguateric toxins

The effects of ciguatoxin, scaritoxin and maitotoxin, the main toxins involved in ciguatera fish poisoning, has been studied in pentobarbital anaesthetized cats. Intravenous injections of increasing doses of these toxins (5 to 160 microgram/kg of partially purified samples) evoked respiratory and cardiovascular disturbances: hyperventilation at low doses and respiratory depression leading to respiratory arrest at high doses; bradycardia and troubles of the atrioventricular conduction at low doses, arrhythmias and ventricular tachycardia with transient hypertension at sublethal doses, and falling arterial pressure leading to complete heart failure at high doses. The mode of action of ciguatoxin has been studied by testing the preventive effects of pharmacological compounds such as hexamethonium, atropine, propranolol and phentolamine and by proceeding to bilateral adrenalectomy. The results have indicated both central and peripheral effects. Cholinergic and also alpha-adrenergic actions were pointed out.