Method of extracting tetrodotoxin
AssigneeWex Medical Instrumentation Co., Ltd.
InventorsMaoqing Zhou, Frank Hay Kong Shum
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a new process of extracting tetrodotoxin from the tissues of an organism. The invention provides increased yield of tetrodotoxin from animal tissues. In the invention, a lixiviated solution is obtained by soaking the tissues with water and a weak organic acid. Soluble proteins are removed by heating the lixiviated solution at a temperature below the boiling point. After pH adjustment, the solution is passed through a cation exchange column. Inorganic salts and alkaline amino acids are removed, and then the tetrodotoxin is adsorbed and eluted from activated carbon. The tetrodotoxin is crystallized by adjusting the pH to 8-10.
Claims18
A method of extracting tetrodotoxin from the tissues of an organism comprising the steps of:
- a) obtaining a lixiviated solution-by soaking the tissues with water and a weak organic acid, then filtering;
- b) removing soluble proteins by heating the lixiviated solution at a temperature below the boiling point;
- c) obtaining an enriched tetrodotoxin solution by adjusting the pH of lixiviated solution with a water solution of a weak base, then putting the solution through a cation ion-exchange resin;
- d) removing inorganic salts and alkaline amino acids by adjusting the pH of the enriched tetrodotoxin solutions with an aqueous solution of a weak base, adsorbing the tetrodotoxin to a activated carbon and eluting the tetrodotoxin from the activated carbon;
- and
- e) crystallizing tetrodotoxin by concentrating the eluate and adjusting the pH of the eluate to pH from 8 to 10.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.