Extraction of tetrodotoxin from puffer fish (Tetrodon cutcutia) and its affect on cockroaches (Periplaneta americana)

Tetrodon cutcutiais a fresh water fish available in the beels of the River Brahmaputra. It contains a non-proteinous toxin called tetrodotoxin. Collected from Dhemaji beel near the southern bank of Brahmaputra, the liver, muscle and skin of the fishes showed different lethal potency when administered on cockroaches. Crude extraction of tetrodotoxin from different tissues separately administered with food such as honey & sugar indicates rate of mortality differently. The contaminated food with the extraction of liver & skin causes mortality of cockroaches of same age group, 90% and 80% respectively at stipulated time. Extractions of muscles have little impact on cockroaches. The extractions are made in simple and crude method. The liver, muscle and skins are separated from live Tetrodon and homogenized and centrifuged at 20,000 RPM for 15 minutes. Mixing the tissues with 1.5 times of the weight of the tissue with double distilled water containing 0.5% acetic acid. The supernatant is heated upto 90 C stirring continuously to separate the protein contents present in the supernatant. Now the filtered solution is treated as tetrodotoxin.The composition of the toxin&purification is yet to be ascertained.