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Paralytic Shellfish Poison and Melanin Distribution in Fractions of Toxic Butter Clam (<i>Saxidomus giganteus</i>) Siphon

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0

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1972

Year

Abstract

Frozen toxic butter clam (Saxidomus giganteus) siphons were fractionated and each fraction was bioassayed for paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) and chemically analyzed for melanin. Sonication removed over 50% of the melanin from the siphons and this fraction contained nearly 50% of the PSP initially present in the siphons. The data presented further implicate melanin as a PSP binding agent in vivo.