@article{oai:nagasaki-u.repo.nii.ac.jp:00000599,
 author = {Amano, Masafumi and Amiya, Noriko and Takaoka, Minami and Sato, Haruka and Takatani, Tomohiro and Arakawa, Osamu and Sakakura, Yoshitaka},
 journal = {Toxicon},
 month = {Dec},
 note = {We tested whether tetrodotoxin (TTX) functions as a stress relieving substance in puffer fish. We orally administered TTX to the juveniles of hatchery-reared non-toxic tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes and measured the effects of TTX on brain corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA expression and plasma cortisol levels in comparison with effects in non-toxic juveniles. Firstly, the reciprocal connections of CRH and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were confirmed by dual-label immunohistochemistry. CRH-immunoreactive (ir) cell bodies were detected in the hypothalamus and CRH-ir fibers were observed to project to ACTH-ir cells in the rostral pars distalis of the pituitary. Next, a TTX-containing diet (2.35 mouse units (517?ng)/g diet) or a non-toxic diet were fed to the fish for 28 days under a recirculating system. Standard length and body weight became significantly larger in the TTX-treated group. The degree of loss of the caudal fin, which is an indicator of the degree of agonistic interactions, where high values show a higher loss of caudal fin of a fish due to nipping by other individuals, was significantly lower in the TTX-treated group. Relative CRH mRNA expression levels in the brain and cortisol levels in the plasma were significantly lower in the TTX-treated group. These results indicate that TTX functions as a stress relieving substance by affecting the CRH-ACTH-cortisol axis and reducing agonistic interactions in tiger puffer juveniles., Toxicon, 171, pp.54-61; 2019},
 pages = {54--61},
 title = {Tetrodotoxin functions as a stress relieving substance in juvenile tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes},
 volume = {171},
 year = {2019}
}