Ubiquity of arsenobetaine in marine animals and degradation of arsenobetaine by sedimentary micro-organisms

Arsenic compounds were extracted with chloroform/methanol/water from tissues of marine animals (four carnivores, five herbivores, five plankton feeders). The extracts were purified by cation and anion exchange chromatography. Arsenobetaine (CH₃)₃As⁺CH₂COO^?], dimethylarsinic acid (CH₃)₂AsOOH], trimethylarsine oxide (CH₃)₃AsO] and arsenite, arsenate, and methylarsonic acid (CH₃)AsO(OH)₂] as a group with the same retention time were identified by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Arsenic was determined in the collected fractions by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Arsenobetaine found in all the animals was almost always the most abundant arsenic compound in the extracts. These results show that arsenobetaine is present in marine animals independently of their feeding habits and trophic levels. Arsenobetaine-containing growth media (ZoBell 2216E; solution of inorganic salts) were mixed with coastal marine sediments as the source of microorganisms. Arsenobetaine was converted in both media to trimethylarsine oxide and trimethylarsine oxide was converted to arsenite, arsenate or methylarsonic acid but not to dimethylarsinic acid. The conversion rates in the inorganic medium were faster than in the ZoBell medium. Two dominant bacterial strains isolated from the inorganic medium and identified as members of the Vibro–Aeromonas group were incapable of degrading arsenobetaine.