Objective: To develop a rapid and sensitive assay for detecting the common sea food toxins including paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin (PST), tetrodotoxin (TTX) and neurotoxic shellfish poisoning toxin (NST) based on their toxicological character.
Methods: Neuroblastoma cells were incubated with the fluorescent dye bis-oxonol, whose distribution across the membrane was potential-dependent. Changes in membrane potential of the cells induced by gonyautoxins (GTX2,3), brevetoxin (BTX) and TTX were observed respectively, using bis-oxonol.
Results: Within 2 - 200 nmol/L of GTX2,3 or 20 - 600 nmol/L of TTX, veratridine-induced depolarization was shown to be inhibited by GTX2,3 or TTX in dose-dependent manner. Within 15 - 400 ng/ml, there was a dose-dependent relationship between the NSP-induced depolarization and toxin concentration.
Conclusion: It was likely to find a rapid, specific, and reliable method with bis-oxonol for detecting GTX2,3, TTX and BTX in sea food.