Antimony in the environment: a review focused on natural waters: I. Occurrence

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Mercury and other trace elements in a pelagic Arctic marine food web (Northwater Polynya, Baffin Bay)

Bioremoval of heavy metals by the use of microalgae.

Antimony in the environment: A review focused on natural waters. III. Microbiota relevant interactions

Heavy metals still represent a group of dangerous pollutants, to which close attention is paid. Many heavy metals are essential as important constituents of pigments and enzymes, mainly zinc, nickel and copper. However, all metals, especially cadmium, lead, mercury and copper, are toxic at high concentration because of disrupting enzyme functions, replacing essential metals in pigments or producing reactive oxygen species. The toxicity of less common heavy metals and metalloids, such as thallium, arsenic, chromium, antimony, selenium and bismuth, has been investigated. Here, we review the phytotoxicity of thallium, chromium, antimony, selenium, bismuth, and other rare heavy metals and metalloids such as tellurium, germanium, gallium, scandium, gold, platinum group metals (palladium, platinum and rhodium), technetium, tungsten, uranium, thorium, and rare earth elements yttrium and lanthanum, and the 14 lanthanides cerium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, holmium, lutetium, neodymium, promethium, praseodymium, samarium, terbium, thulium and ytterbium.

Uncommon heavy metals, metalloids and their plant toxicity: a review

Tolerance, bioaccumulation, biotransformation and excretion of arsenic compounds by the fresh–water shrimp (Neocaridina denticulata) and the killifish (Oryzias latipes) (collected from the natural environment) were investigated. Tolerances (LC50) of the shrimp against disodium arsenate [abbreviated as As(V)], methylarsonic acid (MAA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA), and arsenobetaine (AB) were 1.5, 10, 40, and 150μg As ml−1, respectively.



N. denticulata accumulated arsenic from an aqueous phase containing 1 μg As ml−1 of As(V), 10 μg As ml−1 of MAA, 30 μg As ml−1 of DMAA or 150 μg As ml−1 of AB, and biotransformed and excreted part of these species. Both methylation and demethylation of the arsenicals were observed in vivo. When living N. denticulata accumulating arsenic was transferred into an arsenic–free medium, a part of the accumulated arsenic was excreted. The concentration of methylated arsenicals relative to total arsenic was higher in the excrement than in the organism.



Total arsenic accumulation in each species via food in the food chain



Green algae (Chlorella vulgaris)



shrimp (N. denticulata)



killifish (O. latipes)



decreased by one order of magnitude or more, and the concentration of methylated arsenic relative to total arsenic accumulated increased successively with elevation in the trophic level. Only trace amounts of monomethylarsenic species were detected in the shrimp and fish tested. Dimethylarsenic species in alga and shrimp, and trimethylarsenic species in killifish, were the predominant methylated arsenic species, respectively.

Biomethylation and biotransformation of arsenic in a freshwater food chain: Green alga (chlorella vulgaris)→shrimp (neocaridina denticulata)→killifish (oryzias iatipes)

Accumulation, biomethylation and excretion of arsenic by an autotrophic freshwater alga, and the transport and transformation of the arsenic in the freshwater food chain [alga (autotroph)-moina (planktonic grazer) or shrimp (herbivore)-guppy (carnivore)] were investigated.



These experimental results lead to the conclusion that total arsenic concentrations in organisms after accumulation from foods decreased one order of magnitude per elevation of the trophic level and biomethylation of the arsenic increased successively with an elevation in the trophic level. Predominant methylated arsenic species in moina and guppy were dimethyl- and trimethyl-arsenic compounds, respectively. Shrimp accumulated dimethyl- and trimethyl-arsenic compounds in nearly equivalent quantities. No or little monomethylarsenic compound was detected either in herbivores or carnivores.

Bioaccumulation of arsenic and its fate in a freshwater food chain

The bioaccumulation and excretion of antimony by the freshwater alga Chlorella vulgaris, which had been isolated from an arsenic-polluted environment, are described. When this alga was cultured in a medium containing 50 μg cm−3 of antimony(III) for 14 days, it was found that Chlorella vulgaris bioaccumulated antimony at concentrations up to 12 000 μg Sb g−1 dry wt after six days' incubation. The antimony concentration in Chlorella vulgaris decreased from 2570 to 1610 μg Sb g−1 dry wt after the cells were transferred to an antimony-free medium. We found that the excreted antimony consists of 40% antimony(V) and 60% antimony(III). This means that the highly toxic antimony(III) was converted to the less toxic antimony (V) by the living organism.



Antimony accumulated in living Chlorella vulgaris cells was solvent-fractionated with chloroform/methanol (2:1), and the extract residue was fractionated with 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Gel-filtration chromatography of the solubilized part showed that antimony was combined with proteins whose molecular weight was around 4×104 in the antimony-accumulated living cells. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Bioaccumulation of Antimony by Chlorella vulgaris and the Association Mode of Antimony in the Cell

Tolerance bioaccumulation and biotransformation of arsenic compounds by a freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) were investigated. M. rosenbergii was exposed to 10, 20, 30 and 35 μg As cm -3 of disodium arsenate [abbreviated as As(V)], 25, 50, 100 and 120 μg As cm -3 of methylarsonic acid (MMAA), or 100, 200, 300 and 350 μg As cm -3 of dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA). Tolerances (50% lethal concentration : LC 50 ) of the prawn against As(V), MMAA, and DMAA were 30, 100, and 300 μg As cm -3 , respectively. The prawn accumulated arsenic compounds directly from aqueous phase and biotransformed them in part. Both methylation and demethylation of the arsenicals were observed in vivo. Highly methylated and less toxic arsenicals were less accumulated in M. rosenbergii.

Takayoshi Kuroiwa

Papers

Biomethylation and biotransformation of arsenic in a freshwater food chain: Green alga (chlorella vulgaris)→shrimp (neocaridina denticulata)→killifish (oryzias iatipes)

Bioaccumulation of arsenic and its fate in a freshwater food chain

Bioaccumulation of Antimony by Chlorella vulgaris and the Association Mode of Antimony in the Cell

Tolerance, bioaccumulation and biotransformation of arsenic in freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

Bioaccumulation of Arsenic and Its Fate in a Freshwater Food Chain