In Japan, puffer fish is considered a delicacy, but the tickle to the taste buds comes with a tickle to the nerves: fugu contains tetrodotoxin, a strong nerve toxin. In low doses, tetrodotoxin is shown in clinical trials to be a replacement for opioids for relieving cancer related pain. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, scientists have introduced a new route for the total synthesis (complete production of a natural product from current materials) of tetrodotoxin.
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Source: Phys.org