Screening for toxicity and resistance to paralytic shellfish toxin of shore crabs inhabiting at Leizhou peninsula, China

• Published in: Marine environmental research Vol. 78; pp. 48 - 52
• Main Authors: Lin, Huajuan, Nagashima, Yuji, Jiang, Peihong, Qin, Xiaoming, Lu, Yao, Zhang, Chaohua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Brachyura; China; Crabs; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hemolymph; Hemolymph - chemistry; Leizhou peninsula; Male; Marine; Marine Toxins - toxicity; Mice; Paralytic shellfish toxin (PST); Peninsulas; Resistance to PST; Sea water ecosystems; Shellfish; Shore crabs; Shores; Synecology; Tetrodotoxin (TTX); Toxicity; Toxicity neutralization effect; Toxins; TTX; Asia; China; Toxicity neutralization effect; Resistance to PST; Toxicity; Shore crabs; Hemolymph; Tetrodotoxin (TTX); Paralytic shellfish toxin (PST); Leizhou peninsula; Brachyura; Paralytic shellfish poisoning; Crustacea; Marine environment; Sensitivity resistance; Arthropoda; Decapoda; Invertebrata; Neutralization
• ISSN: 0141-1136; 1879-0291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2012.04.002

The situation of the environment contaminated by paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) in Leizhou peninsula, China, has attracted more attention since seafood poisoning occurred occasionally. In this study, we examined the toxicities of shore crab Leptodius exaratus, Thalamita crenata and Metopograpsus latifrons by mouse assay, resistance to PST by lethal test injection with PST, and discussed the toxicity neutralization of their hemolymph. The results showed 12% of shore crabs possessed toxicity of 4.3–4.4 MU/g. The 100% lethal dose of PST for M. latifrons was about 2 times of those for the other two crab species. The hemolymphs of the crabs were all able to neutralize PST and tetrodotoxin (TTX) toxicity in different extent. The above results indicate shore crabs at this area are exposed to an environment potentially contaminated with PST and/or TTX, and the toxicity neutralizing efficacy of their hemolymph directly affects their resistance to the toxins. ► The situation of toxic environment in Leizhou peninsular, China has been first reported. ► The intoxication situation of crabs at this area is unknown. ► Little is known about the resistance of shore crabs to PST. ► The mechanism that shore crabs resist to PST was preliminarily analyzed.