Table 5.
Toxicity of Muricidae compounds and extracts, indicating general effects (GE) and lethal dose (LD).
| Compound/Extract | Model | Test | Method Admin | Conc. (mg/kg) | General Side Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| murexine | Mouse | LD50 | i.v. | 6.45 | Paralysis of the skeletal musculature preceded by transient stimulation including muscle tension and fasciculation. Death is caused by anoxia after peripheral respiratory arrest [74] |
| LD50 | s.c. | 50 | |||
| LD (ineffective) | oral | <1000 ineffective | |||
| Dog | GE | i.v. | 0.27 | For dogs, murexine additionally caused increased saliva and evacuation of urine and faeces (defecation). Nevertheless they handled 200 times dose with artificial respiration (intubation) [74] | |
| GE | s.c. | 1.35–2.16 | |||
| Pigeon | GE | i.v. | 0.05 | Birds developed contracture, leg cramp and opisthotonus instead of muscular paralysis [74] | |
| LD50 | i.v. | 0.2–0.3 | |||
| Octopus | GE | i.b.h. | 30–40 | Eledone moschata showed brief stimulation and motor agitation with deep respiratory behaviour [74] | |
| Humans | GE | i.v. | 1–1.2 | Muscle relaxation with mild nicotinic effects [140] | |
| dihydromurexine | Mouse | LD50 | i.v. | 5.57 | Similar to murexine but more potent for mice. 12 times more potent for frog rectus abdominis [74] |
| tigloylcholine | Mouse | LD50 | i.v. | 0.92 | Considerably more potent than murexine [77] |
| D. orbita brominated indole extracts | Mouse | GE | oral | 0.5 | Idiosyncratic effects on hepatocytes including nonsteroidal fatty change and necrosis [152] |
| GE | oral | 0.5 | Idosyncratic gastrointestinal inflammation and ulcers [152] | ||
| LD (ineffective) | oral | >1 | No mortality after 4 weeks daily oral gavage, no effects on behaviour or any signs of ill health [153] | ||
| Rat | GE | oral | 1 | No mucositic, inflammation, or negative effects of gastric epithelium or blood cells [103] | |
| LD (ineffective) | oral | >1 | No mortality after 1 week daily oral gavage, no effects on behaviour or any signs of ill health [103] | ||
| 6-bromoisatin | Mouse | GE | oral | 0.25–1 | Diuretic effects evidenced by reduced K/Na ratio in blood no negative effects on blood cells, hemoglobin or serum liver enzymes [112] |
| LD (ineffective) | oral | >1 | No mortality after 2 weeks daily oral gavage, no effects on behaviour or any signs of ill health [112] |
LD50—lethal dose for 50% of group; LD (ineffective)—tested for safety with no mortality; i.v.—intravenous injection; s.c.—subcutaneous injection; i.b.h—intra branchial heart.