Neural electrophysiological effect of crude venom of Conus textile from the South China Sea

In the present study, we characterized effects of the crude venom from Conus textile, a marine molluscivorous snail collected from the South China Sea, on neural electrophysiological activity in insect, molluscan and mammalian species. Our results demonstrate that the venom reversibly blocks the cholinergic synaptic transmission of cockroach Periplaneta americana central nervous system, partially blocks Na+ currents in rat hippocampal CAI pyramidal neurons, and enhances the excitability and spontaneous activity of the giant neurons of garden snail Achatina fulica. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.