MARINE TOXINS AND VENOMOUS AND POISONOUS MAFGINE ANIMALS
273
I n 1906, Richet precipitated a substance from extracts of the
siliceous sponge Xuberites domunculus, which when injected into the
dog produced vomiting, diarrhea and dyspnea, and caused hemorrhages
in the gastric and intestinal mucosa, peritoneum and endocardium.
Arndt (1928) demonstrated that extracts from certain fresh-water
sponges produced diarrhea, dyspnea, prostration and death when
injected into homoiothermic animals. These same extracts had some
hemolytic effect on sheep and pig erythrocytes, and blocked cardiac
function in the isolated frog heart preparation. The extracts were
heat stable and produced no deleterious effects when taken orally.
Ackermann and his colleagues (1961), and others, have isolated or
identified a number of substances from both marine and fresh-water
sponges. These include :
ribonucleic acid
desoxyri bonucleic acid
-8-D-arabofuranoside of thymine
-8-D-arabofuranoside of uracil
-8-D-ribofuranoside of 2-methoxyadenine
pentofuranoside of uracil
guanine
adenine
0-methyl purine
methyladenine
1 -methyladenine
lysine
choline
acetylcholine
betaine
tatwine
taurobetaine
histamine
dimethylhistamine
agmatine
panidine derivatives
glycocyamine
putrescine
phosphocreatine
phosphoarginine
zooanemonine
herbipolin (C,H,ON,)
eledonine
inositol
cholesterol
cholestanol
neospongosterol
clionasterol
poriferasterol
homarine
hippospoWi+e
While some of these substances can provoke both local and systemic
manifestations in lower animals, it is not known which, if any, of these
compounds are responsible for the poisoning of man.
IV. CNIDARIA
Venomous forms are found in all three classes of living cnidarians :
Hydrozoa, or hydroids and hydromedusrte.
Scyphozoa, or true jellyfishes.
Anthozoa, or sea anemones, sea feathers and corals.
A. Y . B . 4 3
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