Identification of some arsenic species in human urine and blood after ingestion of Chinese seaweed Laminaria

Marijn Van Hulle; Chao Zhang; Bart Schotte; Louis Mees; Frank Vanhaecke; Raymond Vanholder; Xin Rong Zhang; Rita Cornelis

doi:10.1039/B307457A

Identification of some arsenic species in human urine and blood after ingestion of Chinese seaweed Laminaria

Marijn Van Hulle,*^a Chao Zhang,^b Bart Schotte,^a Louis Mees,^a Frank Vanhaecke,^a Raymond Vanholder,^c Xin Rong Zhang^b and Rita Cornelis^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Ghent University, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Proeftuinstraat 86, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
E-mail: Marijn.VanHulle@UGent.be
Fax: +32 9 264 6699

^b Tsinghua University, Analysis Center, 100084 Beijing, P.R. China

^c Ghent University, University Hospital, Renal Department, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium

Abstract

Algae contain high amounts of arsenic in the form of arsenosugars. The metabolism and toxicology of these arsenic species are not yet fully understood. Three sets of experiments have been conducted in which the alga Laminaria was ingested by 2 to 5 healthy volunteers. Total arsenic concentrations in urine and in blood, packed blood cells and serum have been determined using ICP-MS and HGAFS, respectively. Neutron activation analysis was used for the determination of the total arsenic content in algae samples. Speciation analysis of urine and serum samples has been carried out using HPLC-ICP-MS. HPLC-ES-MS/MS has been used for structural confirmation. The stability of the arsenosugars in simulated gastric fluid was studied for both boiled and unboiled seaweed. A maximum level of arsenic in urine appears within 15 to 25 h after ingestion. Total arsenic and speciation analysis revealed no marked increase in arsenic blood, serum and packed cells levels up to 7 h after ingestion. Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), methylarsonic acid (MA) and dimethylarsinoylethanol (DMAE) have been positively identified in urine sampled after algae intake. Another 5 species remain unknown. In simulated gastric fluid incubated with algae, the larger share of the arsenosugars degrade within a short time span into a compound with a mass of 254 Da.

Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/B307457A

Article type

Paper

Submitted

30 Jun 2003

Accepted

14 Oct 2003

First published

18 Nov 2003

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J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2004,19, 58-64

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Identification of some arsenic species in human urine and blood after ingestion of Chinese seaweed Laminaria

M. Van Hulle, C. Zhang, B. Schotte, L. Mees, F. Vanhaecke, R. Vanholder, X. R. Zhang and R. Cornelis, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2004, 19, 58 DOI: 10.1039/B307457A

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Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry

Identification of some arsenic species in human urine and blood after ingestion of Chinese seaweed Laminaria

Abstract

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Identification of some arsenic species in human urine and blood after ingestion of Chinese seaweed Laminaria

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