TOXICITY AND PHARMACOLOGY OF EXTRACTS FROM DORID NUDIBRANCHS

¹ Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California 93950

1. Aqueous extracts of digestive glands of specimens of the dorid nudibranchs Cadlina flavomaculata, Doriopsilla albopunctata, Anisodoris nobilis, Archidoris montereyensis, and A. odhneri were lethal when injected into shore crabs and when injected intraperitoneally into mice.

2. Aqueous extracts of the digestive glands of Doriopsilla albopunctata and of Anisodoris nobilis were shown by bioassay (guinea pig ileum) and by chemical determination to contain histamine. The amount present was far too small to account for the toxicity of the glands.

3. Extracts of the digestive glands of Anisodoris nobilis were fractionated by column chromatography on Biogel P-2 to yield an active fraction designated "dorid-toxin." This produces lethargy and bradycardia in mice. In anesthetized rats it produces sustained (60 min or more) bradycardia and hypotension. On isolated hearts, especially spontaneously beating guinea pig atria, it has negative inotropic and chronotropic effects.

4. Dorid toxin has a molecular weight under 8000. It is heat stable and is not destroyed by trypsin, chymotrypsin or Pronase. It is therefore unlikely that it is a polypeptide.

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