There are studies on the use of a toxin found in puffer fish, which has recently come to the agenda and is known to be poisonous, in cancer drug production and addiction treatment. Emphasizing that puffer fish is very poisonous, experts warn that it should never be consumed due to its lethal effect.
Üsküdar University Advisor to the Rector, Head of the Department of Medical Pharmacology Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay said that studies are being carried out in the world on the use of tetrodotoxin, a toxin found in puffer fish known to be poisonous, in the field of medicine and pharmacy, and that studies in this field can also be carried out in our country.
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay stated that puffer fish started to be seen on the coasts of our country due to global warming and climate changes and said, "There was no such problem in previous years. This fish also disrupts the ecosystem. It causes other fish to migrate and therefore creates a problem. However, this fish has such a feature; this fish contains plenty of tetrodotoxin. Tetrodotoxin is a neurotoxin, a poison, but this toxin is used in the pharmaceutical industry. A company in Canada has used this toxin as a raw material and commercialized it under the name 'Tektin'. The company produces this drug especially for the treatment of cancer pain."
Studies on cancer and addiction continue
Stating that there are studies on the use of this toxin in studies to prevent some metastatic cancers and to prevent metastasis, Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay said, "There are some promising results here, but these have not yet been transferred to the clinic. Apart from these, tetrodotoxin has the potential to be used as a local anesthetic. Another issue being studied with this toxin is related to addiction treatment. In the treatment of heroin addiction, it is a toxin with drug potential that is being researched to prevent the search behavior that causes the withdrawal crisis that occurs in heroin addiction and the desire for heroin."
Blowfish should never be eaten!
Emphasizing that puffer fish should never be consumed based on clinical studies on puffer fish, Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay said, "Our citizens who watch these news should never eat this fish with the wrong idea that 'This is good for cancer, it shows local anesthesia properties' or 'It is good for heroin addiction'. We need to underline that eating puffer fish is extremely dangerous. Even eating a single fish can be fatal. A dose of about 2 milligrams can easily kill a person weighing 50 kilograms," he warned.
Cardiac arrest and paralysis may occur
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay also noted that puffer fish has very serious negative effects on heart health, "Cardiac arrest can occur. Dizziness and sweating occur due to poisoning, as in many other poisoning cases. Numbness can be seen in the arms and legs and a general paralysis picture can also occur. Many people who go in and out of intensive care also develop heart failure. Therefore, it is extremely dangerous to consume puffer fish. It is a fish that is forbidden to be landed and sold in the laws."
We can also obtain tetrodotoxin
Stating that there are efforts to export this toxin to foreign pharmaceutical companies, Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay said, "Instead of exporting tetrodotoxin to other countries, we can isolate it directly from this fish and use it. Turkey has the infrastructure to do this. Apart from this, our country and our nature can offer quite new opportunities not only in terms of puffer fish but also in terms of new drug development. For this, of course, it is necessary to project studies in this direction, and to have a vision in this regard. Universities should have such a goal and invest here. If investments are made, why not? Turkey can isolate itself. At least isolating the tetrodotoxin itself and selling the tetrodotoxin rather than the fish can be a more profitable business."