Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a neurotoxin that blocks voltage gated sodium channels causing paralysis of the body and death. This toxin is produced as a predatory inhibitory mechanism by multiple organisms including the Red-Spotted Newt (<i>Notophtalmus,viridescens</i>) in the Northeastern United States.  This work established a more sensitive competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantify the low concentrations of TTX secreted by the Red Spotted Newt.  An optimized protocol for generating a standard curve was developed and used to quantitate the amount of TTX secreted by the newts during different stages of their lifecycle and under varying environmental conditions.  Studying levels of production of TTX in the Red-Spotted Newt will inform our understanding of the effects of ecological and evolutionary influences on this organism.<br/>

Quantifying tetrodotoxin using a competitive ELISA

255th National Meeting (2018)

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