| Arsenobetaine formation in plankton: a review of studies at the base of the aquatic food chain. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 23014956 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Arsenobetaine is one of the major organoarsenic compounds found in aquatic organisms, including seafood and fish meant for human consumption. It has been widely studied over the last 50 years because of its non-toxic properties, and its origin is postulated to be at bottom of the aquatic food chains. The present review focuses on arsenobetaine formation in marine and freshwater plankton, comparing the arsenic compounds found in the different plankton organisms, and the methods used to assess arsenic speciation. The main findings indicate that in the marine environment, phytoplankton and micro-algae contain arsenosugars, with the first traces of arsenobetaine appearing in herbivorous zooplankton, and becoming a major arsenic compound in carnivorous zooplankton. Freshwater plankton contains less arsenobetaine than their marine relatives, with arsenosugars dominating. The possible role and formation pathways of arsenobetaine in plankton organisms are reviewed and the literature suggests that arsenobetaine in zooplankton comes from the degradation of ingested arsenosugars, and is selectively accumulated by the organism to serve as osmolyte. Several arsenic compounds such as arsenocholine, dimethylarsinoylacetate or dimethylarsinoylethanol that are intermediates of this pathway have been detected in plankton. The gaps in research on arsenobetaine in aquatic environments are also addressed: primarily most of the conclusions are drawn on culture-based experiments, and few data are present from the natural environment, especially for freshwater ecosystems. Moreover, more data on arsenic in different zooplankton species would be helpful to confirm the trends observed between herbivorous and carnivorous organisms. |
| | |
Authors:
|
G Caumette; I Koch; K J Reimer |
Related Documents
:
|
16796056 - Factors impacting the acceptance of traceability in the food supply chain in the united... 21144046 - Anaphylaxis to hyperallergenic functional foods. 22963076 - Nanotechnology in the development of novel functional foods or their package. an overvi... 23216706 - Biosecurity measures for backyard poultry in developing countries: a systematic review. 23274126 - Television watching and the emotional impact on social modeling of food intake among ch... 7320186 - A multiresidue approach to the identification of food packaging-derived volatiles in fo... |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2012-9-27 |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Journal of environmental monitoring : JEM Volume: - ISSN: 1464-0333 ISO Abbreviation: J Environ Monit Publication Date: 2012 Sep |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2012-9-27 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 100968688 Medline TA: J Environ Monit Country: - |
Other Details:
|
Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: - |
Affiliation:
|
Environmental Sciences Group, Royal Military College of Canada, P.O. Box 17000 Stn. Forces Kingston, Ontario, K7K 7B4, Canada. reimer-k@rmc.ca. |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
|
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Organ transplantation and meaning of life: the quest for self fulfilment.
Next Document: Long-term survival from 801 adjunctive coronary endarterectomies in diffuse coronary artery disease.