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Hendrix AM, Lefebvre KA, Bowers EK, Stuppard R, Burbacher T, Marcinek DJ. Age and Sex as Determinants of Acute Domoic Acid Toxicity in a Mouse Model. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:259. [PMID: 37104198 PMCID: PMC10143184 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15040259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The excitatory neurotoxin domoic acid (DA) consistently contaminates food webs in coastal regions around the world. Acute exposure to the toxin causes Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning, a potentially lethal syndrome of gastrointestinal- and seizure-related outcomes. Both advanced age and male sex have been suggested to contribute to interindividual DA susceptibility. To test this, we administered DA doses between 0.5 and 2.5 mg/kg body weight to female and male C57Bl/6 mice at adult (7-9-month-old) and aged (25-28-month-old) life stages and observed seizure-related activity for 90 min, at which point we euthanized the mice and collected serum, cortical, and kidney samples. We observed severe clonic-tonic convulsions in some aged individuals, but not in younger adults. We also saw an association between advanced age and the incidence of a moderately severe seizure-related outcome, hindlimb tremors, and between advanced age and overall symptom severity and persistence. Surprisingly, we additionally report that female mice, particularly aged female mice, demonstrated more severe neurotoxic symptoms following acute exposure to DA than males. Both age and sex patterns were reflected in tissue DA concentrations as well: aged mice and females had generally higher concentrations of DA in their tissues at 90 min post-exposure. This study contributes to the body of work that can inform intelligent, evidence-based public health protections for communities threatened by more frequent and extensive DA-producing algal blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia M. Hendrix
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kathi A. Lefebvre
- Environmental Fisheries Science Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - Emily K. Bowers
- Environmental Fisheries Science Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - Rudolph Stuppard
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Thomas Burbacher
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - David J. Marcinek
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Vilariño N, Louzao MC, Abal P, Cagide E, Carrera C, Vieytes MR, Botana LM. Human Poisoning from Marine Toxins: Unknowns for Optimal Consumer Protection. Toxins (Basel) 2018; 10:E324. [PMID: 30096904 PMCID: PMC6116008 DOI: 10.3390/toxins10080324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine biotoxins are produced by aquatic microorganisms and accumulate in shellfish or finfish following the food web. These toxins usually reach human consumers by ingestion of contaminated seafood, although other exposure routes like inhalation or contact have also been reported and may cause serious illness. This review shows the current data regarding the symptoms of acute intoxication for several toxin classes, including paralytic toxins, amnesic toxins, ciguatoxins, brevetoxins, tetrodotoxins, diarrheic toxins, azaspiracids and palytoxins. The information available about chronic toxicity and relative potency of different analogs within a toxin class are also reported. The gaps of toxicological knowledge that should be studied to improve human health protection are discussed. In general, gathering of epidemiological data in humans, chronic toxicity studies and exploring relative potency by oral administration are critical to minimize human health risks related to these toxin classes in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Vilariño
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
| | - M Carmen Louzao
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
| | - Paula Abal
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
| | - Eva Cagide
- Laboratorio CIFGA S.A., Plaza Santo Domingo 20-5°, 27001 Lugo, Spain.
| | - Cristina Carrera
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
- Hospital Veterinario Universitario Rof Codina, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
| | - Mercedes R Vieytes
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
| | - Luis M Botana
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
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Lefebvre KA, Kendrick PS, Ladiges W, Hiolski EM, Ferriss BE, Smith DR, Marcinek DJ. Chronic low-level exposure to the common seafood toxin domoic acid causes cognitive deficits in mice. HARMFUL ALGAE 2017; 64:20-29. [PMID: 28427569 PMCID: PMC5548283 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2017.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The consumption of one meal of seafood containing domoic acid (DA) at levels high enough to induce seizures can cause gross histopathological lesions in hippocampal regions of the brain and permanent memory loss in humans and marine mammals. Seafood regulatory limits have been set at 20mgDA/kg shellfish to protect human consumers from symptomatic acute exposure, but the effects of repetitive low-level asymptomatic exposure remain a critical knowledge gap. Recreational and Tribal-subsistence shellfish harvesters are known to regularly consume low levels of DA. The aim of this study was to determine if chronic low-level DA exposure, at doses below those that cause overt signs of neurotoxicity, has quantifiable impacts on cognitive function. To this end, female C57BL/6NJ mice were exposed to asymptomatic doses of DA (≈0.75mg/kg) or vehicle once a week for several months. Spatial learning and memory were tested in a radial water maze paradigm at one, six and 25 weeks of exposure, after a nine-week recovery period following cessation of exposure, and at three old age time points (18, 24 and 28 months old). Mice from select time points were also tested for activity levels in a novel cage environment using a photobeam activity system. Chronic low-level DA exposure caused significant spatial learning impairment and hyperactivity after 25 weeks of exposure in the absence of visible histopathological lesions in hippocampal regions of the brain. These cognitive effects were reversible after a nine-week recovery period with no toxin exposure and recovery was sustained into old age. These findings identify a new potential health risk of chronic low-level exposure in a mammalian model. Unlike the permanent cognitive impacts of acute exposure, the chronic low-level effects observed in this study were reversible suggesting that these deficits could potentially be managed through cessation of exposure if they also occur in human seafood consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathi A Lefebvre
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Preston S Kendrick
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Warren Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Emma M Hiolski
- Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California Santa Cruz, USA
| | - Bridget E Ferriss
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Donald R Smith
- Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California Santa Cruz, USA
| | - David J Marcinek
- Department of Radiology and Department of Bioengineering and Pathology, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, WA, USA
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Botana LM, Hess P, Munday R, Nathalie A, DeGrasse SL, Feeley M, Suzuki T, van den Berg M, Fattori V, Garrido Gamarro E, Tritscher A, Nakagawa R, Karunasagar I. Derivation of toxicity equivalency factors for marine biotoxins associated with Bivalve Molluscs. Trends Food Sci Technol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2016.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Vieira AC, Cifuentes JM, Bermúdez R, Ferreiro SF, Castro AR, Botana LM. Heart Alterations after Domoic Acid Administration in Rats. Toxins (Basel) 2016; 8:E68. [PMID: 26978401 PMCID: PMC4810213 DOI: 10.3390/toxins8030068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Revised: 02/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Domoic acid (DA) is one of the best known marine toxins, causative of important neurotoxic alterations. DA effects are documented both in wildlife and experimental assays, showing that this toxin causes severe injuries principally in the hippocampal area. In the present study we have addressed the long-term toxicological effects (30 days) of DA intraperitoneal administration in rats. Different histological techniques were employed in order to study DA toxicity in heart, an organ which has not been thoroughly studied after DA intoxication to date. The presence of DA was detected by immunohistochemical assays, and cellular alterations were observed both by optical and transmission electron microscopy. Although histological staining methods did not provide any observable tissue damage, transmission electron microscopy showed several injuries: a moderate lysis of myofibrils and loss of mitochondrial conformation. This is the first time the association between heart damage and the presence of the toxin has been observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres C Vieira
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo 27002, Spain.
| | - José Manuel Cifuentes
- Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo 27002, Spain.
| | - Roberto Bermúdez
- Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo 27002, Spain.
| | - Sara F Ferreiro
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo 27002, Spain.
| | - Albina Román Castro
- Rede de Infraestruturas de Apoio á Investigación e ao Desenvolvemento Tecnolóxico (RIADT) Lugo, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo 27002, Spain.
| | - Luis M Botana
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo 27002, Spain.
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