Volume 13 | Issue 2
Volume 13 | Issue 2
Volume 13 | Issue 2
Volume 13 | Issue 1
Volume 13 | Issue 1
The puffer fish's ovaries and liver are the original sources of the strong neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX). It is now abundantly obvious that TTX is generated by certain bacteria and enters the food chain rather than being created by puffer fish. Particularly in Japan, where puffer fish is regarded as the most delectable fish, the pharmacology of TTX has been investigated for a long time. However, several scientific studies into the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind TTX's specific and powerful blocking activity on the sodium channel have been started since the ground-breaking discovery of this effect. The fact that TTX has now been extensively employed in research labs to examine the sodium channel, other ion channels, as well as many facets of membrane excitability and synaptic transmission, is also significant. This chapter provides the highlights of the most current TTX research investigations. Older literature is not covered because it has been thoroughly examined by numerous researchers. It is recommended that readers study these review articles. Thus, the current chapter discusses the most recent advancements in the fields of TTX sources, sodium channel action mechanisms, TTX-resistant sodium channels, TTX action and binding sites, and TTX therapeutic uses. It is also documented how the paralytic shellfish toxin saxitotoxin works by inhibiting sodium channels.