CHAPTER 15 • Toxic Effects of Organometallic Compounds towards Marine Biota
347
ing in chromatid gaps, chromatid breaks and, rarely, disruption of centromeres, were
provoked by arsenite, arsenate, methylarsonic acid and trimethylarsine oxide.
Arsenocholine, arsenobetaine and tetramethylarsonium iodide were less toxic than
inorganic arsenic (Kaise et al. 1998).
Arsenobetaine may be decomposed into trimethylarsine oxide, dimethylarsinic acid
and inorganic arsenic(V) by microorganisms occurring in particles, which are present
in deep sea at 1100-3500 m (Hanaoka et al.1997). The arsenic transformations in short
marine food chains were investigated by HPLC-ICP MS (Edmonds et al.1997). In particular, the organisms studied were the copepod Gladioferens imparipes fed on the
diatom Chaetoceros concavicornis cultured under axenic conditions, the amphipod
Allorchestes compressa, the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba, the abalone Haliotis roeii,
and finally the teleosts fish silver drummer Kyphosus sydneyanus. The experiments
were designed to provide information on the ability of marine animals to convert
arsenosugars to arsenobetaine, and to determine whether absorption from water is
the source of arsenobetaine in herbivorous animals (Table 15.7).
Chaetoceros concavicornis accumulated the arsenosugar of Fig. 15.2C to a concentration dependent on its degree of exposure to inorganic arsenate in sea water; this
suggests that the conversion is part of a detoxification process. A high concentration
of arsenate was detected in extracts of copepods fed with algal cells that had been
grown in water containing 1 mg kg- 1 of arsenate. Arsenobetaine was absent from the
muscle of the silver drummer Kyphosus sydneyanus, although trimethylarsine oxide
was present (Edmonds et al. 1997).
Arsenobetaine was absent both in the copepods Gladioferens imparipes fed only
with the diatom Chaetoceros concavicornis, grown in axenic culture, and from the
muscle of the silver drummer Kyphosus sydneyanus, although trimethylarsine oxide
was present (Edmonds et al. 1997).
Liver samples of pinnipedes (nine ringed seals (Phoca hispida), one bearded
seal (Erginathus barbatus) and cetaceans (two pilot whales (Globicephalus melas),
one beluga whale (Deliphinapterus leucus)) contained arsenobetaine as the predominant arsenic derivative (0.052-1.67 mg As kg- 1 wet mass); arsenocholine was also
present at 0.005-0.044 mg As kg- 1 wet mass; dimethylarsinic acid ranged between
<0.001 to 0.109 mg As kg- 1 wet mass and finally methylarsonic acid was below
the detection limit «0.001 to 0.025 mg As kg- 1 wet mass), (Table 15.8) (Goessler et al.
1998).
As determined by HPLC-GFAA and HPLC-ICP MS, arsenobetaine was the major
arsenic compound extracted from the water-soluble fraction of jellyfish Aurelia aurita
and Carybdea rastonii (Fig. 15.6) (Hanaoka et al. 1999a). Arsenocholine and
tetramethylarsonium ions were also present.
Animals of higher trophic levels generally do not eat jellyfish. As a consequence,
the arsenobetaine that accumulates in the latter may not be passed directly to these
higher-level animals. Instead, microorganisms occurring in sediments, suspended
substances, macro algae, etc., could degrade arsenobetaine in a multi-step process to
inorganic arsenic, so that the arsenic may circulate in a smaller ecosystem composed
of sea water, plankton, small fish and jellyfish rather than in a general ecosystem that
includes animals of all trophic levels.
After feeding Crangon crangon shrimp with dimethyl- and trimethylarsenosugars,
the muscle, midgut gland, gills and the remainder tissue of the crustacean were
347
ing in chromatid gaps, chromatid breaks and, rarely, disruption of centromeres, were
provoked by arsenite, arsenate, methylarsonic acid and trimethylarsine oxide.
Arsenocholine, arsenobetaine and tetramethylarsonium iodide were less toxic than
inorganic arsenic (Kaise et al. 1998).
Arsenobetaine may be decomposed into trimethylarsine oxide, dimethylarsinic acid
and inorganic arsenic(V) by microorganisms occurring in particles, which are present
in deep sea at 1100-3500 m (Hanaoka et al.1997). The arsenic transformations in short
marine food chains were investigated by HPLC-ICP MS (Edmonds et al.1997). In particular, the organisms studied were the copepod Gladioferens imparipes fed on the
diatom Chaetoceros concavicornis cultured under axenic conditions, the amphipod
Allorchestes compressa, the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba, the abalone Haliotis roeii,
and finally the teleosts fish silver drummer Kyphosus sydneyanus. The experiments
were designed to provide information on the ability of marine animals to convert
arsenosugars to arsenobetaine, and to determine whether absorption from water is
the source of arsenobetaine in herbivorous animals (Table 15.7).
Chaetoceros concavicornis accumulated the arsenosugar of Fig. 15.2C to a concentration dependent on its degree of exposure to inorganic arsenate in sea water; this
suggests that the conversion is part of a detoxification process. A high concentration
of arsenate was detected in extracts of copepods fed with algal cells that had been
grown in water containing 1 mg kg- 1 of arsenate. Arsenobetaine was absent from the
muscle of the silver drummer Kyphosus sydneyanus, although trimethylarsine oxide
was present (Edmonds et al. 1997).
Arsenobetaine was absent both in the copepods Gladioferens imparipes fed only
with the diatom Chaetoceros concavicornis, grown in axenic culture, and from the
muscle of the silver drummer Kyphosus sydneyanus, although trimethylarsine oxide
was present (Edmonds et al. 1997).
Liver samples of pinnipedes (nine ringed seals (Phoca hispida), one bearded
seal (Erginathus barbatus) and cetaceans (two pilot whales (Globicephalus melas),
one beluga whale (Deliphinapterus leucus)) contained arsenobetaine as the predominant arsenic derivative (0.052-1.67 mg As kg- 1 wet mass); arsenocholine was also
present at 0.005-0.044 mg As kg- 1 wet mass; dimethylarsinic acid ranged between
<0.001 to 0.109 mg As kg- 1 wet mass and finally methylarsonic acid was below
the detection limit «0.001 to 0.025 mg As kg- 1 wet mass), (Table 15.8) (Goessler et al.
1998).
As determined by HPLC-GFAA and HPLC-ICP MS, arsenobetaine was the major
arsenic compound extracted from the water-soluble fraction of jellyfish Aurelia aurita
and Carybdea rastonii (Fig. 15.6) (Hanaoka et al. 1999a). Arsenocholine and
tetramethylarsonium ions were also present.
Animals of higher trophic levels generally do not eat jellyfish. As a consequence,
the arsenobetaine that accumulates in the latter may not be passed directly to these
higher-level animals. Instead, microorganisms occurring in sediments, suspended
substances, macro algae, etc., could degrade arsenobetaine in a multi-step process to
inorganic arsenic, so that the arsenic may circulate in a smaller ecosystem composed
of sea water, plankton, small fish and jellyfish rather than in a general ecosystem that
includes animals of all trophic levels.
After feeding Crangon crangon shrimp with dimethyl- and trimethylarsenosugars,
the muscle, midgut gland, gills and the remainder tissue of the crustacean were