On 3 Jun 2003 16:54:19 -0700, shock-trauma at excite.com (Paranormal)
wrote:
>> Why
>> do you think that neurotoxins could not cause painful irritation to
>> the skin and mucous membranes? The symptoms depend on what tissue is
>> exposed most strongly.
>>What if the poison from a Portuguese Man-of-War's tentacles was
>extracted, purified and then injected into the ventral root ganglion
>of my spinal cord?
This isn't really a jellyfish -- it is a colonial animal made up of
several different kinds of organisms living together as one unit.
Also, I don't think the toxin is particularly neurotoxic. Here are
some references.
Portuguese Man-of-war (Physalia physalis) venom induces calcium influx
into cells by permeabilizing plasma membranes.
Edwards L, Hessinger DA.
Toxicon 2000 Aug;38(8):1015-28
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10708794&dopt=Abstract
Effect of Portuguese man-of-war venom on isolated vascular segments.
Loredo JS, Gonzalez RR Jr, Hessinger DA.
J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1986 Jan;236(1):140-3
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2867212&dopt=Abstract
Vascular effects of Physalia physalis venom in the skeletal muscle of
the dog.
Loredo JS, Gonzalez RR Jr, Hessinger DA.
J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1985 Feb;232(2):301-4
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2857193&dopt=Abstract
Physalia venom mediates histamine release from mast cells.
Cormier SM.
J Exp Zool 1981 Nov;218(2):117-20
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6172545&dopt=Abstract
Sorry, probably not a neurotoxin, although there is a report that one
component of the venom does block glutamate receptors
Effects of a high molecular weight toxin from Physalia physalis on
glutamate responses.
Mas R, Menendez R, Garateix A, Garcia M, Chavez M.
Neuroscience 1989;33(2):269-73
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2576111&dopt=Abstract
Also, there isn't a "ventral root ganglion". Do you mean dorsal root?
If so, that is simply a collection of sensory cell bodies without any
synapses. There is no reason to think that that site would have any
special sensitivity at all to a neurotoxin.
