ABSTRACT

Palytoxin (PLTX) is a lethal, heat-stable marine toxin [1], which was first isolated in 1971 in Hawaii from the seaweed-like coral, Limu-make-o-Hana (Seaweed of Death from Hana), polyps of the genus Palythoa [2]. Later identified as Palythoa toxica, a zoanthid of the tropical areas of the Pacific Ocean [3], this organism has been shown to produce a marine polyalcohol toxin (i.e., PLTX) with a very large and complex chemical structure including both lipophilic and hydrophilic moieties. PLTX and its analogues have been implicated in toxic events in humans following ingestion, dermal exposure, or inhalation of vapors, and in animals following various routes of administration [4]. Moreover, PLTX and its analogues exert their potent biological activity by altering normal ion homeostasis in excitable and nonexcitable tissues [5,6]. The toxin depolarizes mammalian cells by causing cation conductance with relatively low ion selectivity [7].