Toxicological study of organic arsenic compound in marine algae using mammalian cell culture technique

Abstract

Marine organisms frequently contain arsenic in higher concentrations than terrestrial organisms. The water soluble arsenoriboses are the major organic arsenic compounds in marine algae. We synthesized an arsenosugar, 1- (2',3'-dihydroxypropyl)-5-deoxyribosyldimethylarsine oxide, and examined this compound for cytotoxicity (50%-inhibitory dose; ID50) and for the ability to induce chromosomal aberration and sister chromatid exchanges (SCE). The arsenosugar inhibited the growth of BALB/c 3T3 cells at a concentration of 2 mg arsenosugar/ml in the cytotoxicity test. The cytotoxicity of this compound was 1/2800th of that of sodium arsenite and 1/300th of that of sodium arsenate. The aberrations caused by the arsenosugar at a concentration of 5 mg/ml consisted mainly of chromatid gaps and chromatid breaks. No SCE was observed at concentrations of 1 to 10 mg/ml. These results suggest that the arsenosugar present in marine algae is much less toxic than inorganic arsenic compounds.