Brevetoxin Forms Covalent DNA Adducts in Rat Lung Following Intratracheal Exposure

BACKGROUND: Human exposure to brevetoxins produced by the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, is an increasing public health concern. Using in vitro exposure of rat liver cells to brevetoxin B (PbTx-2), the primary toxin product of K. brevis, we previously showed that it formed C(27,28)-epoxy brevetoxin metabolites capable of covalently binding to nucleic acids, a common initiation step for carcinogenesis. OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to evaluate nucleic acid adduction in lung following in vitro and in vivo brevetoxin exposures. METHODS: To clarify reactions of brevetoxin epoxide with DNA, we analyzed reaction products of PbTx-6 (a C(27,28) epoxide metabolite of brevetoxin B) with nucleosides. We also analyzed adducts from nucleic acid hydrolysates of isolated rat lung cells treated with PbTx-2 or PbTx-6 in vitro and lung tissue from rats after intratracheal exposure to PbTx-2 or PbTx-6 at 45 μg toxin/kg body weight. RESULTS: Our results indicate that PbTx-2 forms DNA adducts with cytidine after treatment of isolated lung cells, and forms DNA adducts with adenosine and guanosine after intratracheal exposure. CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with metabolic activation of highly reactive brevetoxin intermediates that bind to nucleic acid. These findings provide a basis for monitoring exposure and assessing the hazard associated with depurination of brevetoxin–nucleotide adducts in lung tissue.