Metabolism of arsenic compounds by the blue mussel mytilus edulis after accumulation from seawater spiked with arsenic compounds

Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) were exposed to 100 μg As dm^?3 in the form of arsenite, arsenate, methylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, trimethylarsine oxide, tetramethylarsonium iodide or dimethyl-(2-hydroxyethyl)arsine oxide in seawater for 10 days. The seawater was renewed and spiked with the arsenic compounds daily. Analyses of water samples taken 24 h after spiking showed that arsenobetaine and arsenocholine had been converted to trimethylarsine oxide, whereas trimethylarsine oxide and tetramethylarsonium iodide were unchanged. Arsenobetaine was accumulated by mussels most efficienty, followed in efficiency by arsenocholine and tetramethylarsonium iodide. None of the other arsenic compounds was significantly accumulated by the mussels. Extraction of mussel tissues with methanol revealed that control mussels contained arsenobetaine, a dimethyl-(5-ribosyl)arsine oxide and an additional arsenic compound, possibly dimethylarsinic acid. Mussels exposed to arsenobetaine contained almost all their experimentally accumulated arsenic as arsenobetaine, and mussels exposed to tetramethylarsonium iodide contained it as the tetramethylarsonium compound. Mussels exposed to arsenocholine had arsenobetaine as the major arsenic compound and glycerylphosphorylarsenocholine as a minor arsenic compound in their tissues. The results show that arsenobetaine and arsenocholine are efficiently accumulated from seawater by blue mussels and that in both cases the accumulated arsenic is present in the tissues as arsenobetaine. Consequently arsenobetaine and/or arsenocholine present at very low concentrations in seawater may be responsible for the presence of arsenobetaine in M. edulis and probably also among other marine animals. The quantity of arsenobetaine accumulated by the mussels decreases with increasing concentrations of betaine. HPLC-ICP-MS was found to be very powerful for the investigation of the metabolism of arsenic compounds in biological systems.     

Degradation of a tetramethylarsonium salt by microorganisms occurring in sediments and suspended substances under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Microbial degradation of a tetramethylarsonium salt during incubation at 25°C was investigated under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Two media (1/5 ZoBell 2216E and inorganic salt medium), added with the sediments or suspended substances as the sources of the microorganisms, were used. Degradation of the tetramethylarsonium salt occurred only in the ZoBell medium: under anaerobic conditions, trimethylarsine oxide and dimethylarsinic acid were derived with the sediments, and dimethylarsinic acid with the suspended substances, the salt degrading more rapidly with the former than with the latter. Small amounts of two metabolites, trimethylarsine oxide and inorganic arsenic(V), was also derived in the aerobically incubated ZoBell medium added with the suspended substances. This result means that the tetramethylarsonium salt is degraded to inorganic arsenic, which is the starting material for arsenic circulation in marine ecosystems, via trimethylarsine oxide and dimethylarsinic acid.     

The chemical form and acute toxicity of arsenic compounds in marine organisms

A method for the separation and identification of inorganic and methylated arsenic compounds in marine organisms was constructed by using a hydride generation/cold trap/gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HG/CT/GC MS) measurement system. The chemical form of arsenic compounds in marine organisms was examined by the HG/CT/GC MS system after alkaline digestion. It was observed that trimethylarsenic compounds were distributed mainly in the water-soluble fraction of muscle of carnivorous gastropods, crustaceans and fish. Also, dimethylated arsenic compounds were distributed in the water-soluble fraction of Phaeophyceae. It is thought that most of the trimethylated arsenic is likely to be arsenobetaine since this compound released trimethylarsine by alkaline digestion and subsequent reduction with sodium borohydride. The major arsenic compound isolated from the water-soluble fraction in the muscle and liver of sharks was identified as arsenobetaine from IR, FAB Ms data, NMR spectra and TLC behaviour. The acute toxicity of arsenobetaine was studied in male mice. The LD₅₀ value was higher than 10 g kg⁻¹. This compound was found in urine in the non-metabolized form. No particular toxic symptoms were observed following administration. These results suggest that arsenobetaine has low toxicity and is not metabolized in mice. The LD₅₀ values of other minor arsenicals in marine organisms, trimethylarsine oxide, arsenocholine and tetramethylarsonium salt, were also examined in mice.     

Arsenic compounds in terrestrial organisms. IV. Green plants and lichens from an old arsenic smelter site in Austria

Two lichens and 12 green plants growing at a former arsenic roasting facility in Austria were analyzed for total arsenic by ICP–MS, and for 12 arsenic compounds (arsenous acid, arsenic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, methylarsonic acid, arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, trimethylarsine oxide, the tetramethylarsonium cation and four arsenoriboses) by HPLC–ICP–MS. Total arsenic concentrations were in the range of 0.27 mg As (kg dry mass)⁻¹ (Vaccinium vitis idaea) to 8.45 mg As (kg dry mass)⁻¹ (Equisetum pratense). Arsenic compounds were extracted with two different extractants [water or methanol/water (9:1)]. Extraction yields achieved with water [7% (Alectoria ochroleuca) to 71% (Equisetum pratense)] were higher than those with methanol/water (9:1) [4% (Alectoria ochroleuca) to 22% (Deschampsia cespitosa)]. The differences were caused mainly by better extraction of inorganic arsenic (green plants) and an arsenoribose (lichens) by water. Inorganic arsenic was detected in all extracts. Dimethylarsinic acid was identified in nine green plants. One of the lichens (Alectoria ochroleuca) contained traces of methylarsonic acid, and this compound was also detected in nine of the green plants. Arsenobetaine was a major arsenic compound in extracts of the lichens, but except for traces in the grass Deschampsia cespitosa, it was not detected in the green plants. In contrast to arsenobetaine, trimethylarsine oxide was found in all samples. The tetramethylarsonium cation was identified in the lichen Alectoria ochroleuca and in four green plants. With the exception of the needles of the tree Larix decidua the arsenoribose (2′R)‐dimethyl[1‐O‐(2′,3′‐dihydroxypropyl)‐5‐deoxy‐β‐D ‐ribofuranos‐5‐yl]arsine oxide was identified at the low μg kg⁻¹ level or as a trace in all plants investigated. In the lichens an unknown arsenic compound, which did not match any of the standard compounds available, was also detected. Arsenocholine and three of the arsenoriboses were not detected in the samples. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Organoarsenic compounds in plants and soil on top of an ore vein

Plants and soil collected above an ore vein in Gasen (Austria) were investigated for total arsenic concentrations by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). Total arsenic concentrations in all samples were higher than those usually found at non‐contaminated sites. The arsenic concentration in the soil ranged from ∼700 to ∼4000 mg kg⁻¹ dry mass. Arsenic concentrations in plant samples ranged from ∼0.5 to 6 mg kg⁻¹ dry mass and varied with plant species and plant part. Examination of plant and soil extracts by high‐performance liquid chromatography–ICP‐MS revealed that only small amounts of arsenic (<1%) could be extracted from the soil and the main part of the extractable arsenic from soil was inorganic arsenic, dominated by arsenate. Trimethylarsine oxide and arsenobetaine were also detected as minor compounds in soil. The extracts of the plants (Trifolium pratense, Dactylis glomerata, and Plantago lanceolata) contained arsenate, arsenite, methylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, trimethylarsine oxide, the tetramethylarsonium ion, arsenobetaine, and arsenocholine (2.5–12% extraction efficiency). The arsenic compounds and their concentrations differed with plant species. The extracts of D. glomerata and P. lanceolata contained mainly inorganic arsenic compounds typical of most other plants. T. pratense, on the other hand, contained mainly organic arsenicals and the major compound was methylarsonic acid. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Genotoxicity of dimethylarsinous acid: high induction of tetraploids

Arsenic is a carcinogen in humans. However, neither the mechanism of action nor the ultimate chemical form of arsenic which causes cancer has been clearly defined. Dimethylarsinous acid is detected in the urine of individuals who ingest arsenic‐polluted drinking water. The cytogenetic study in V79 cells using iododimethylarsine, which is easily hydrolyzed to dimethylarsinous acid in water, revealed that dimethylarsinous acid was very cytotoxic (50% growth inhibition concentration; 1.1 ± 0.14 µM ), and either induced aneuploids or a high rate of tetraploids (73% at 2.5 µM ). Dimethylarsinous acid caused mitotic arrest, since the mitotic index at toxic dose (5 µM ) was 13.9%, significantly higher than the control (2.7%). Dimethylarsinous acid significantly increased sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and chromosomal aberrations, most of which were chromatid gaps and chromatid breaks. The cytotoxicity and the activity of dimethylarsinous acid in inducing chromosomal aberration or SCE was as effective as arsenite, but the activity was much lower than that of mitomycin C, which was used as a positive control. The most potent effects of dimethylarsinous acid on the cells were induction of aneuploids, tetraploids and c‐mitosis. Our results suggest that toxicity of dimethylarsinous acid is strongly related to the disturbance of the normal cell cycle. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Acute toxicity and rapid excretion in urine of tetramethylarsonium salts found in some marine animals

Acute toxicity in mice, and excretion in their urine, of tetramethylarsonium salts which are arsenic compounds found in some marine animals, were examined using synthetic tetramethylarsonium iodide. The oral, intraperitoneal and intravenous LD₅₀ values of tetramethylarsonium iodide [(CH₃)₄As⁺I^?] were determined to be 890, 175 and 82 mg kg^?1, respectively. When sublethal doses of tetramethylarsonium iodide were orally administered to mice, 53–58% of the arsenic administered was recovered in urine after 6 h and 65–81% after 72 h. High-performance liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma (HPLC–ICP) and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometric (FAB MS) analyses revealed that a tetramethylarsonium salt was the only arsenic compound excreted in urine. These results suggested that the major part of orally administered tetramethylarsonium iodide was absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in mice and then rapidly excreted in urine without biotransformation.     

Speciation and health risk considerations of arsenic in the edible mushroom Laccaria amethystina collected from contaminated and uncontaminated locations

Samples of the edible mushroom Laccaria amethystina, which is known to accumulate arsenic, were collected from two uncontaminated beech forests and an arsenic-contaminated one in Denmark. The total arsenic concentration was 23 and 77 μg As g⁻¹ (dry weight) in the two uncontaminated samples and 1420 μg As g⁻¹ in the contaminated sample. The arsenic species were liberated from the samples using focused microwave-assisted extraction, and were separated and detected by anion- and cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer as arsenic-selective detector. Dimethylarsinic acid accounted for 68–74%, methylarsonic acid for 0.3–2.9%, trimethylarsine oxide for 0.6–2.0% and arsenic acid for 0.1–6.1% of the total arsenic. The unextractable fraction of arsenic ranged between 15 and 32%. The results also showed that when growing in the highly arsenate-contaminated soil (500–800 μg As g⁻¹) the mushrooms or their associated bacteria were able to biosynthesize dimethylarsinic acid from arsinic acid in the soil. Furthermore, arsenobetaine and trimethylarsine oxide were detected for the first time in Laccaria amethystina. Additionally, unidentified arsenic species were detected in the mushroom. The finding of arsenobetaine and trimethylarsine oxide in low amounts in the mushrooms showed that synthesis of this arsenical in nature is not restricted to marine biota. In order to minimize the toxicological risk of arsenic to humans it is recommended not to consume Laccaria amethystina mushrooms collected from the highly contaminated soil, because of a genotoxic effect of dimethylarsinic acid observed at high doses in animal experiments. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. No Abstract.     

Immunotoxicity of Organic Arsenic Compounds in Marine Animals

In the present study, we demonstrated for the first time the immunotoxic effects of organic arsenic compounds in marine animals, namely arsenocholine [AsCho; trimethyl(2-hydroxyethyl)arsonium cation], arsenobetaine [AsBe; the trimethyl(carboxymethyl)arsonium zwitterion] and the tetramethylarsonium ion (TetMA), to murine principal immune effector cells (macrophages and lymphocytes), comparing them with the effects of inorganic arsenicals in vitro . Inorganic arsenicals (arsenite and arsenate) showed strong cytotoxicity to both macrophages and lymphocytes. The concentration of arsenite that reduced the number of surviving cells to 50% of that in untreated controls (IC₅₀) was 3–5 μmol dm⁻³, and the cytotoxicity of arsenate (IC₅₀=100 μ-1 m mol dm⁻³) was lower than that of arsenite. Compared with these findings, trimethylarsenic compounds in marine animals, AsCho and AsBe, were less toxic even at a concentration over 10 mmol dm⁻³ to both macrophages and lymphocytes; however, TetMA had weak, but significant, cytotoxicity to these cells (IC₅₀ was about 6 mmol dm⁻³).     

Determination of arsenic compounds in marine mammals with high-performance liquid chromatography and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer as element-specific detector

Total arsenic concentrations and the concentrations of individual arsenic compounds were determined in liver samples of pinnipeds [nine ringed seals (Phoca hispida), one bearded seal (Erginathus barbatus)] and cetaceans [two pilot whales (Globicephalus melas), one beluga whale (Deliphinapterus leucus)]. Total arsenic concentrations ranged from 0.167 to 2.40 mg As kg⁻¹ wet mass. The arsenic compounds extracted from the liver samples with a methanol/water mixture (9:1, v/v) were identified and quantified by anion- and cation-exchange chromatography. An ICP–MS equipped with a hydraulic high-pressure nebulizer served as the arsenic-specific detector. Arsenobetaine (0.052–1.67 mg As kg⁻¹ wet mass) was the predominant arsenic compound in all the liver samples. Arsenocholine was present in all livers (0.005–0.044 mg As kg⁻¹ wet mass). The tetramethylarsonium cation was detected in all pinnipeds ( < 0.009 to 0.043 mg As kg⁻¹) but not in any of the cetaceans. The concentration of dimethylarsinic acid ranged from < 0.001 to 0.109 mg As kg⁻¹ wet mass. Most of the concentrations for methylarsonic acid ( < 0.001 to 0.025 mg As kg⁻¹ wet mass) were below the detection limit. Arsenous acid and arsenic acid concentrations were below the detection limit of the method (0.001 mg As kg⁻¹). An unknown arsenic compound was present in all liver samples at concentrations from 0.002–0.027 mg As kg⁻¹. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Arsenic Compounds in Terrestrial Organisms I: Collybia maculata,Collybia butyracea and Amanita muscaria from Arsenic Smelter Sites in Austria

Three mushroom species from two old arsenic smelter sites in Austria were analyzed for arsenic compounds. The total arsenic concentrations were determined by ICP–MS. Collybia maculata contained 30.0 mg, Collybia butyracea 10.9 mg and Amanita muscaria 21.9 mg As kg⁻¹ dry mass. The arsenic compounds extracted with methanol/water (9:1) from the dried mushroom powders were separated by HPLC on anion-exchange and reversed-phase columns and detected by ICP-MS using a hydraulic high-pressure nebulizer. In Collybia maculata almost all arsenic is present as arsenobetaine. Collybia butyracea contained mainly arsenobetaine (8.8 mg As kg⁻¹ dry mass) and dimethylarsinic acid (1.9 mg As kg⁻¹). Amanita muscaria contained arsenobetaine (15.1 mg As kg⁻¹), traces of arsenite, dimethylarsinic acid and arsenate, and surprisingly arsenocholine (2.6 mg As kg⁻¹) and a tetramethylarsonium salt (0.8 mg As kg⁻¹). © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of arsenic and arsenic compounds in natural gas samples

Organic arsenic compounds (trialkylarsines) present in natural gas were extracted by 10 cm³ of concentrated nitric acid from 1 dm³ of gas kept at ambient pressure and temperature. The flask containing the gas and the acid was shaken for 1 h on a platform shaker set at the highest speed. The resulting solution was mixed with concentrated sulfuric acid and heated to convert all arsenic compounds to arsenate. Total arsenic was determined in the mineralized solutions by hydride generation. The arsenic concentrations in natural gas samples from a number of wells in several gas fields were in the range 0.01–63 μ As dm^?3. Replicate determinations of arsenic in a gas sample with an arsenic concentration of 5.9 μ dm^?3 had a relative standard deviation of 1.7%. Because of the high blank values, the lowest arsenic concentration that could be reliably determined was 5 ng As dm^?3 gas. Analysis of nonmineralized extracts by hydride generation identified trimethylarsine as the major arsenic compound in natural gas. Low-temperature gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed more directly than the hydride generation technique, that trimethylarsine accounts for 55–80% of the total arsenic in several gas samples. Dimethylethylarsine, methyldiethylarsine, and triethylarsine were also identified, in concentrations decreasing with increasing molecular mass of the arsines.     

Retention behavior of arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, trimethylarsine oxide and tetramethylarsonium iodide on a styrene-divinylbenzene column with benzenesulfonates as ion-pairing reagents

The pH-dependent retention behavior of arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, trimethylarsine oxide, tetramethylarsonium iodide (cationic arsenic compounds), arsenite, arsenate, methylarsonic acid, and dimethylarsinic acid (anionic arsenic compounds) was studied on a Hamilton PRP-1 reversed-phase column (250×4.1 mm I.D.) with 10 mM aqueous solutions of benzensulfonic acids (X-C₆H₄SO₃⁻; X=H, 4-HO, 3-CO₂H; 4-HO-3-HO₂C-C₆H₃SO₃⁻) as ion-pairing reagents in the pH range 2–5 using flame atomic absorption spectrometry as the arsenic-specific detector. The dependencies of the k′-values of the ‘cationic’ arsenic compounds was rationalized on the basis of the protonation/deprotonation behavior of the arsenic compounds and of the four benzenesulfonates. The results provided evidence for the formation of a cationic species from trimethylarsine oxide below pH 3. Benzenesulfonate is the most hydrophobic ion-pairing reagent causing strong retention of the cationic arsenic compounds and consequently impeding their rapid separation. With the less hydrophobic, substituted benzenesulfonates the cationic arsenic compounds had retention times not exceeding 6 min. At a flow-rate of 1.5 cm³ min⁻¹ 10 mM aqueous 3-carboxy-4-hydroxybenzenesulfonate solution adjusted to pH 3.5 allowed the separation of arsenate, methylarsonic acid, arsenobetaine, trimethylarsine oxide, the tetramethylarsonium ion, and arsenocholine within 3 min. Dimethylarsinic acid coelutes with arsenobetaine at pH 3.5, but can be separated from arsenobetaine with the same mobile phase at pH 2.5. At pH 2.5 the signals for trimethylarsine oxide, the tetramethylarsonium ion, and arsenocholine are too broad to be useful for quantification. Arsenite and methylarsonic acid cannot be separated under these conditions.     

Can Humans Metabolize Arsenic Compounds to Arsenobetaine?

Arsenic compounds were determined in 21 urine samples collected from a male volunteer. The volunteer was exposed to arsenic through either consumption of codfish or inhalation of small amounts of (CH₃)₃As present in the laboratory air. The arsenic compounds in the urine were separated and quantified with an HPLC–ICP–MS system equipped with a hydraulic high-pressure nebulizer. This method has a determination limit of 0.5 μg As dm⁻³ urine. To eliminate the influence of the density of the urine, creatinine was determined and all concentrations of arsenic compounds were expressed in μg As g⁻¹ creatinine. The concentrations of arsenite, arsenate and methylarsonic acid in the urine were not influenced by the consumption of seafood. Exposure to trimethylarsine doubled the concentration of arsenate and increased the concentration of methylarsonic acid drastically (0.5 to 5 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine). The concentration of dimethylarsinic acid was elevated after the first consumption of fish (2.8 to 4.3 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine), after the second consumption of fish (4.9 to 26.5 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine) and after exposure to trimethyl- arsine (2.9 to 9.6 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine). As expected, the concentration of arsenobetaine in the urine increased 30- to 50-fold after the first consumption of codfish. Surprisingly, the concentration of arsenobetaine also increased after exposure to trimethylarsine, from a background of approximately 1 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine up to 33.1 μg As g⁻¹ creatinine. Arsenobetaine was detected in all the urine samples investigated. The arsenobetaine in the urine not ascribable to consumed seafood could come from food items of terrestrial origin that—unknown to us—contain arsenobetaine. The possibility that the human body is capable of metabolizing trimethyl- arsine to arsenobetaine must be considered. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accumulation of Arsenic by Rhaphydophyceae Chattonella antiqua (Hada) Ono

Rhaphydophyceae Chattonella antiqua (Hada) Ono was grown in seawater containing an arsenic concentration up to 50 mg dm⁻³, and survived even at 200 mg dm⁻³. The arsenic content increased with an increase of the surrounding arsenic, iron and manganese concentrations. However, arsenic accumulation was unaffected by phosphorus concentration. Also, arsenic content in C. antiqua decreased at a selenium concentration of up 20 mg dm⁻³, and was reduced by the addition of antimony. In the living cells, about 52% of the arsenic which accumulated in each cell was found in the intracellular fraction, 27% in the lipid fraction, and 21% in the cell wall fraction.     

Arsenic Compounds Accumulated in Sedimentary Microorganisms Cultivated in Media Containing Several Arsenicals

Sediments, as sources of microorganisms, were added to two kinds of media, 1/5 ZoBell 2216E and a solution of inorganic salts, which contained inorganic arsenic(III), inorganic arsenic(V), methanearsonic acid, dimethyl- arsinic acid, trimethylarsine oxide, tetramethylarsonium salt or arsenocholine. After 17 days of incubation at 20 °C, the arsenicals that had accumulated in the microorganisms were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). While the more toxic arsenicals [inorganic arsenic(III), inorganic arsenic(V), methanearsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid] were not converted in the microorganisms, trimethylarsine oxide and tetramethylarsonium salt were considerably degraded to inorganic arsenic(V), and arsenocholine to arsenobetaine. Arsenobetaine that had accumulated in the microorganisms was extracted and confirmed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry.     

Formation of arsenobetaine from arsenocholine by micro-organisms occurring in sediments

As one of the experiments to pursue marine circulation of arsenic, we studied microbiological conversion of arsenocholine to arsenobetaine, because arsenocholine may be a precursor of arsenobetaine in these ecosystems. Two culture media, 1/5 ZoBell 2216E and an aqueous solution of inorganic salts, were used in this in vitro study. To each medium (25 cm³) were added synthetic arsenocholine (0.2%) and about 1 g of the sediment, and they were aerobically incubated at 25°C in the dark. These conversion experiments were performed in May and July 1990. In both seasons, two or three metabolites were derived in each mixture. These metabolites were purified using cation-exchange chromatography. Their structures were confirmed as arsenobetaine, trimethylarsine oxide and dimethylarsinic acid by high-performance liquid chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, FAB mass spectrometry and a combination of gas-chromatographic separation with hydride generation followed by a cold-trap technique and selected-ion monitoring mass spectrometric analysis. From this and other evidence it is concluded that, in the arsenic cycle in these marine ecosystems, as recently postulated by us, the pathway arsenocholine → arsenobetaine → trimethylarsine oxide → dimethylarsinic acid → methanearsonic acid → inorganic arsenic can be carried out by micro-organisms alone.     

Isolation and evaluation of cytogenetic effect of Brahmi saponins on cultured human lymphocytes exposed in vitro

Major saponins of Brahmi (Bacopa monniera, Fam: Scrophulariaceae) – bacosides A and B – were isolated from the total methanol extract and characterised based on melting point, TLC, IR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR. They were evaluated for their in vitro cytogenetic effects on human peripheral blood lymphocytes by chromosomal aberration (CA) assay and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) assay. The frequency of chromatid type aberrations and reciprocal interchanges between sister chromatids in the treated cells was scored in comparison to the untreated control. At 30 μg/mL dose, bacoside A showed a statistically significant increase in the frequency of both CA and SCE and bacoside B showed an increase only in SCE. Our report of the genotoxicity of the saponins is significant in view of the reports of anticancer activity of Brahmi extracts.     

Tissue accumulation and distribution of arsenic compounds in three marine fish species: relationship to trophic position

In this study the accumulation and distribution of arsenic compounds in marine fish species in relation to their trophic position was investigated. Arsenic compounds were measured in eight tissues of mullet Mugil cephalus (detritivore), luderick Girella tricuspidata (herbivore) and tailor Pomatomus saltatrix (carnivore) by high performance liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry. The majority of arsenic in tailor tissues, the pelagic carnivore, was present as arsenobetaine (86–94%). Mullet and luderick also contained high amounts of arsenobetaine in all tissues (62–98% and 59–100% respectively) except the intestines (20% and 24% respectively). Appreciable amounts of dimethylarsinic acid (1–39%), arsenate (2–38%), arsenite (1–9%) and trimethylarsine oxide (2–8%) were identified in mullet and luderick tissues. Small amounts of arsenocholine (1–3%), methylarsonic acid (1–3%) and tetramethylarsonium ion (1–2%) were found in some tissues of all three species. A phosphate arsenoriboside was identified in mullet intestine (4%) and from all tissues of luderick (1–6%) except muscle. Pelagic carnivore fish species are exposed mainly to arsenobetaine through their diet and accumulate the majority of arsenic in tissues as this compound. Detritivore and herbivore fish species also accumulate arsenobetaine from their diet, with quantities of other inorganic and organic arsenic compounds. These compounds may result from ingestion of food and sediment, degradation products (e.g. arsenobetaine to trimethylarsine oxide; arsenoribosides to dimethylarsinic acid), conversion (e.g. arsenate to dimethylarsinic acid and trimethylarsine oxide by bacterial action in digestive tissues) and/or in situ enzymatic activity in liver tissue. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tolerance,bioaccumulation and biotransformation of arsenic in freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

Tolerance bioaccumulation and biotransformation of arsenic compounds by a freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) were investigated. M. rosenbergii was exposed to 10, 20, 30 and 35 μg As cm⁻³ of disodium arsenate [abbreviated as As(V)], 25, 50, 100 and 120 μg As cm⁻³ of methylarsonic acid (MMAA), or 100,200, 300 and 350 μg As cm⁻³ of dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA). Tolerances (50% lethal concentration: LC₅₀) of the prawn against As(V), MMAA, and DMAA were 30, 100, and 300 μg As cm⁻³, respectively. The prawn accumulated arsenic compounds directly from aqueous phase and biotransformed them in part. Both methylation and demethylation of the arsenicals were observed in vivo. Highly methylated and less toxic arsenicals were less accumulated in M. rosenbergii.