THE EFFECT OF TETRODOTOXIN ON THE NEUROMUSCULAR JUNCTION AND PERIPHERAL NERVE OF THE TOAD
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- MATSUMURA MOTOHATSU
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University
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- YAMAMOTO SHIGERU
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University
Description
Despite its severe toxicity, the globe fish—Japanese “Fugu”—has been eaten as a special delicacy for a long time among the Japanese because of its unusual taste. Previous experimental studies on the fish demonstrated that the toxic substance of this fish was found substantially in the viscera, especially in the ovary and liver. According to the earliest biological experiments performed by Ôsawa (1), the toxic substance has a curare-like action on the motor nerve endings. This finding received support from the work of Miura and Takesaki (2). Furthermore, Takahashi and Inoko (3) showed that the toxic substance exhibited a central depressant action on the medullary level in addition to the peripheral paralysis. Since then, several detailed reports regarding toxicologic and pharmacologic actions of the Fugu toxin have been presented [Hayashi and Muto (4), Iwakawa and Kimura (5), Yano (6), Nomiyama (7), Kawakami (8), Ueki (9), and Iwamoto (10)] . Some of them dealt with cocaine-like local anesthetic effects of the toxin.<BR>On the other hand, the process of neuromuscular transmission was recently clarified following advanced studies on the end-plate potential (e.p.p.) ?? Eccles (11), Hunt and Kuffler (12), and Rosenblueth (13) ?? . Consequently, some light has been thrown on the mechanism of the action of drugs at the motor nerve ending. The object of the present paper is to show the features of the blocking effects of the Fugu toxin on neuromuscular as well as ganglionic transmission.
Journal
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- The Japanese Journal of Pharmacology
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The Japanese Journal of Pharmacology 4 (1), 62-68, 1954
The Japanese Pharmacological Society
