Tetrodotoxin in Asian horseshoe crabs Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus tridentatus across different life stages from northern Beibu Gulf, China

Junhua Zhu; Kit Yue Kwan; Yulan Zeng; Xin Yang; Ying Zou; Xingfu Zhong; Honglei Zhou; Zhi Chen; Kian Ann Tan; Peng Xu; Ce Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114195

Tetrodotoxin in Asian horseshoe crabs Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus tridentatus across different life stages from northern Beibu Gulf, China

Mar Pollut Bull. 2022 Nov:184:114195. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114195. Epub 2022 Oct 6.

Authors

Junhua Zhu¹, Kit Yue Kwan², Yulan Zeng³, Xin Yang³, Ying Zou³, Xingfu Zhong⁴, Honglei Zhou⁵, Zhi Chen⁶, Kian Ann Tan³, Peng Xu³, Ce Zhang³

Affiliations

¹ College of Marine Sciences, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Beibu Gulf Ocean Development Research Centre, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China; Beijing Commerce and Trade School, Beijing 100162, China.
² College of Marine Sciences, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Beibu Gulf Ocean Development Research Centre, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China. Electronic address: kityuekwan@bbgu.edu.cn.
³ College of Marine Sciences, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Beibu Gulf Ocean Development Research Centre, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China.
⁴ Agriculture and Rural Affairs Centre of Shabu Town, Qinzhou 535009, China. Electronic address: 396263342@qq.com.
⁵ Fujian Yangze Marine Biotechnology Ltd., Fuzhou 350603, China.
⁶ Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute of Fujian Province, Fuzhou 350002, Fujian, China.

PMID: 36208552
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114195

Abstract

Horseshoe crabs (HSCs) are a group of ancient chelicerates with great ecological and biomedical importance. Food poisonings caused by the consumption of Asian HSCs have significant impacts on public health and safety. This study measured tetrodotoxin (TTX) concentrations in two HSC species across various life stages in May 2020 from the northern Beibu Gulf, their most important spawning and nursery habitats in China. The average TTX contents in both Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus tridentatus ranged 6.2-8.0 μg/kg and 3.8-8.4 μg/kg, respectively. While sampling location, growth and molt stages have little influence on TTX distribution in both species, significantly higher levels of TTX were detected in hemolymph, but lower in pooled tissues of early-instar juvenile T. tridentatus. These results provide a regional view of TTX occurrence and distribution in HSCs during their spawning season, which are critical for future studies to enhance understanding of TTX dynamics and formation in HSCs.

Keywords: Distribution; Hemolymph; Instar; Molt; Neurotoxin; Occurrence.

MeSH terms

Animals
China
Ecosystem
Hemolymph*
Horseshoe Crabs*
Tetrodotoxin

Substances

Tetrodotoxin