Tissue distribution of tetrodotoxin in the red-spotted newt Notophthalmus viridescens

High levels of tetrodotoxin (TTX) and of its analogue 6-epi-tetrodotoxin have been detected in skin and liver extracts of the red-spotted newt Notophthalmus viridescens assayed by a post-column fluorescent-HPLC system. Using a monoclonal antibody-based immunoenzymatic technique, TTX was localized in the granular glands of the epidermis as well as in the muscle layer between the muscle fibres, but also in most organs suggesting that TTX is stored in the whole body of the newt and is secreted by skin glands.