Abstract

Paralytic Shellfish Toxins (PST) are endemic components found in filter bivalves in Southern Chile. Post-mortems analysis of fluid and tissue samples has shown biotransformation of PST in humans. The Gonyautoxin 3 (GTX3) and Gonyautoxin 2 (GTX2) are the major PST components in the toxin profile found in Chilean shellfish extracts, being as much as 65% of the total content of PST in filter bivalves. Therefore, they are the major accountable components of the human intoxication by shellfish consumption. The aim of this study is to show in vitro glucuronidation and biotransformation of GTX3 and GTX2 when they are incubated with microsomal fraction isolated from healthy human livers. Microsomes fractions isolated from human livers were incubated with GTX3 and GTX2 purified from contaminated mussels. After different incubation times, incubated samples were extracted and analyzed by HPLC with fluorescent on line detection and HPLC-MS analysis. The results revealed that GTX3 and GTX2, only when they were incubated with microsomal fraction and appropriated cofactors, showed to be enzymatic transformed in vitro. The glucuronidation of GTX3 and GTX2 followed typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics, resulting in apparent kinetic parameters of Km = 39.4 ± 0.24 µM and Vmax = 6.0 × 10-3 pmol/min/mg protein. In addition, the microsomes fraction also oxidized GTX3 and GTX2 into Gonyautoxin 4 (GTX 4) and Gonyautoxin 1 (GTX 1) resulting in 0.339 × 10-3 pmol/min/mg protein. In conclusion, this study reports oxidation and glucuronidation of GTX3 and GTX2 when they are incubated with human liver microsomal fraction. The metabolism occurs via a glucuronidation reaction, the basis first step of biotransformation in human liver. Also it is showed that GTX4 and GTX1 came by biotransformation from GTX3 and GTX2 in humans. This data confirm human biotransformation found in human post-mortem fluid and tissue samples described previously. This data is the first evidence of in vitro glucuronidation of PST, given a metabolic pathway of detoxification and excretion of PST in human. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.