Organoarsenical compounds: Occurrence, toxicology and biotransformation

The Arsenic Methylation Cycle: How Microbial Communities Adapted Methylarsenicals for Use as Weapons in the Continuing War for Dominance

“…Arsenosugars Are the Most Widespread and Are the Major Arsenic-Containing Compound in Marine Algae (Typically 2-50 mg Arsenic/kg Dry Mass) (Niegel and Matysik, 2010) Arsenosugars are carbohydrates in which a di-or tri-methylated arsenic moiety is incorporated into a ribofuranoside, which contains glycerol, phosphate, sulfate or sulfonate (Thomas and Bradham, 2016). Although more than 20 different arsenosugars have been identified as natural products, most of the arsenic found in arsenosugars is associated with just a few compounds (Chen et al, 2019a). The pathway for arsenosugar biosynthesis has still not been fully elucidated, but DMAs synthesis catalyzed by ArsM has been shown to be the precursor of arsenosugars (Xue et al, 2017).…”

“…The pathway for arsenolipid biosynthesis remains unclear, but most likely they are made by the algae, which are eaten by the fish. This group of compounds includes arsenic-containing fatty acids (AsFA), hydrocarbons (AsHC), glycophospholipids (AsPL) and phosphatidylcholines (AsPCs) (Chen et al, 2019a). To date, about 50 arsenolipids have been identified, including arsenic-containing hydrocarbons, fatty acids, phospholipids, phosphatidylcholines, and fatty alcohols, and more and more unidentified arsenic compounds will likely be discovered due to development the chemical measurement technology (Taylor et al, 2017).…”

“…Related antimonials including Pentostam were used for treatment of leshmanial diseases such as kala-azar. Atoxyl and other derivatives of phenylarsonic acid such as roxarsone have been added to animal feed since the 1920s for prevention of infectious diseases in poultry, such as roxarsone, although it is currently no longer used in many countries such as the United States because of potential risk to the environment (Chen et al, 2019a).…”

“…In addition, three additional classes of methylated arsenicals have been detected and identified in food: arsenosugars, arsenolipids, and AB. These organoarsenical species are primarily found in marine animals and algae (Chen et al, 2019a). With the continual development of advanced analytical methods, more and more methylated arsenicals are being identified.…”

Use of Eisenia fetida as a Biological Risk Marker in a Qualitative Eco Assessment Test of a Romanian Watercourse

“…Among the various means using earthworm, qualitative avoidance tests for sublethal doses of pollutants could be practical. In this sense, Eisenia fetida and E. andrei are considered representatives of the soil fauna, in recent times, with latest available information about the ecology of earthworms and their use in diverse ecotoxicological testing, (for example: organic structures [ 1 ] and compounds [ 2 , 3 ], drug origin active substances [ 4 , 5 ] or heavy metals [ 4 , 6 , 7 ]).…”