tetrodotoxin

American  

[te-troh-duh-tok-sin] / tɛˌtroʊ dəˈtɒk sɪn /

noun

Pharmacology.

1. a neurotoxin, C 11 H 17 N 3 O 3 , occurring in a species of puffer fish: ingestion of the toxin is usually rapidly fatal due to heart failure or asphyxiation; used experimentally to block impulse conduction potential in excitable cells.

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tetrodotoxin British  

/ ˌtɛtrəʊdəʊˈtɒksɪn /

noun

1. a highly lethal neurotoxin found in certain puffer fish and in newts of the genus Taricha . Formula: C 11 H 17 N 3 O 3

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Etymology

Origin of tetrodotoxin

1910–15; < New Latin Tetrodo ( n ) genus name of the puffer fish ( tetr-, -odont ) + toxin

Example Sentences

In contrast, some species of poisonous newt use tetrodotoxin, which clogs up a pore that's key to conducting electric signals down a nerve.

From National Geographic • Sep. 28, 2017

For example, a toxin called tetrodotoxin blocks voltage-gated ion channels in skeletal muscles, preventing the propagation of the action potentials required for motion and causing paralysis in nearly all vertebrates.

From Scientific American • Aug. 21, 2012

Because the fish's internal organs contain the nerve poison tetrodotoxin, Japanese gourmets rely on expert chefs to remove the toxic entrails before serving.

From Time Magazine Archive

Japanese chemists are also hard at work on a more practical chore: finding an antidote for tetrodotoxin poisoning.

From Time Magazine Archive

Generations of chemists managed to make stronger and stronger concentrations of tetrodotoxin, and in 1949 Professor Akira Yokoo isolated the poison in pure crystalline form.

From Time Magazine Archive