engleski

The concentration of tetrodotoxin (TTX) in invasive species Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin 1789) in the Adriatic Sea (Croatia)

Silver-cheeked toadfish, Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789), a poisonous marine pufferfish that has reached the Mediterranean from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal (Lessepsian migration) where it soon established its own ecological niche due to its exceptional biological features such as rapid growth, high fecundity and fertility. There are indications that this fish species had managed to establish its population in the Adriatic Sea, but these findings still need to be confirmed by the presence of its early developmental stages. Recent surveys located the adult specimens in the southern and central part, but it is possible that the temperature is still a limiting factor for invasion of the northern part of the Adriatic Sea. It is known that L. sceleratus contains a potent neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin (TTX) that blocks sodium channels necessary for the muscle contractions. Therefore the skin, muscle, liver and gonads were analysed from the two specimens caught in the central Adriatic Sea. Tetrodotoxin was quantified in 1% acetic methanol extracts on LC-MS/MS in MRM positive mode. Among the four tissue samples analysed, the highest average toxin level was found in gonads (48.7 mg kg-1) and the lowest average was in muscle tissue (0.8 mg kg-1). The average TTX concentration in skin was (1.5 mg kg-1) slightly higher than in the muscle tissue, while in liver it was 30.6 mg kg-1.

tetrodotoxin; invasive species; Adriatic Sea

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