palytoxin

American  

[pal-uh-tak-suhn] / ˌpæl əˈtɑk sən /

noun

palytoxins plural

1. Pathology. an extremely poisonous substance, occurring in various marine species of the Pacific, most notably corals of the genus Palythoa.

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palytoxin Scientific  

/ păl′ə-tŏk′sĭn /

1. An extremely powerful toxin occurring in corals of the genus Palythoa of the South Pacific. Palytoxin disrupts the flow of ions across cell membranes and is the most potent known naturally occurring poison, being rapidly fatal to humans in doses of 4 micrograms. One of the most complex known nonprotein substances, it has more contiguous carbon atoms (115) than any other naturally occurring molecule. Chemical formula: C ₁₂₉ H ₂₂₃ N ₃ O ₅₄ .

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• palytoxins
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

palytoxin

The danger of inhaling palytoxin is relatively new.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 28, 2017

In the span of a week in 2000, 11 people who ate fish in Japan were treated for palytoxin exposure.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 28, 2017

A pair of chemists discovered palytoxin decades ago when they followed the tale of "Limu-make-o-Hana," a Hawaiian legend that roughly translates as “deadly seaweed of Hana.”

From Washington Post ● Jul. 28, 2017

Algae, not Palythoa corals, contaminated the food. “The palytoxin group of toxins are found in many organisms,” Dell'Aversano said.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 28, 2017

He compared the creation of palytoxin, one of the most toxic molecules known, “to Beethoven writing his symphony.”

From Scientific American ● Jul. 5, 2012