Detection of the Potential Inactivation of Tetrodotoxin by Lactic Acid Bacterial Exopolysaccharide.

Screening for compounds that can neutralize the toxicity of tetrodotoxin (TTX) or reduce its negative effects is necessary. Our study tested the TTX detoxification capacity of exopolysaccharide (EPS) extracted from lactic acid bacteria. EPS of N3 isolated from the Vung Tau sea (Vietnam), PN05, and PN04 were used in the study. To more completely evaluate the importance of EPS in detoxification, EPS samples of N3, PN05 and PN04 were also tested. The majority of EPS of these bacteria contained glucose; this was observed using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. As observed with FTIR analysis, only EPS of PN05 contained methyl groups. The results indicated that detoxification of TTX in mice could be obtained at an optimal dose of 248 µg EPS from incubated with 54 µg cuprous oxide for 40 min or 148 µg EPS incubated with 55 µg cuprous oxide for 40 min, while EPS from showed TTX detoxification capacity without cuprous oxide combination. Consequently, EPS from PN05 can be used in TTX prevention. This is the first report on the importance of lactic acid bacteria in TTX detoxification.