Disturbance of voltage-induced cellular calcium entry by marine dimeric and tetrameric pyrrole--imidazole alkaloids.

Twelve brominated pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids from the Caribbean sponges Stylissa caribica and Agelas wiedenmayeri were tested for interactions with cellular calcium homeostasis using PC12 cells. Massadine (half maximal concentration: 5.32 +/- 0.007microM), stylissadines A (4.48 +/- 1.1microM) and B (4.6 +/- 1.6microM) as well as tetrabromostyloguanidine (15.6 +/- 0.004microM) reduced voltage-dependent calcium entry in PC12 cells as measured with Fura II as calcium indicator. Dibromopalau'amine and mauritiamine reduced voltage-dependent calcium entry but no half maximal concentration can be calculated from our results. Monomeric brominated pyrrole alkaloids such as stevensine, cyclooroidin, oxocyclostylidol, 4-bromopyrrole-2-carboxy-N(epsilon)-lysine, and 4-bromopyrrole-2-carboxyarginine showed no or only minor effects. Ageladine A itself showed fluorescence in a similar range as Fura II and therefore no data are reported here. Based on the results a structure-activity relationship could be established. Absolutely necessary for an activity seem to be a lipophilic (brominated side chain) and a hydrophilic (amino-imidazole core) substructure. The combination of these substructures may be on one hand responsible for the membrane solubility (dibromopyrrole moieties) and on the other hand for the interaction with the hydrophilic area of the calcium channel (amino-imidazole moieties) to accomplish the alkaloids neurotoxic potential.

The neurologic effects of noxious marine creatures.

The concept of the sea as a source of noxious agents is perhaps not a familiar one to clinical neurologists, judging by the lack of reference to these agents in standard textbooks. Chemical, physiologic, and pharmacologic laboratories are increasingly investigating the properties of marine toxins, finding in them compounds with interesting and novel structures or unusual physiologic effects. Such substances are seen as possible agents for biologic and, more particularly, physiologic research, and as possible sources of new pharmaceuticals. These include hormone-like substances and antiviral or antitumor agents. Despite these specialized developments, which are in large measure a consequence of the technological advances of the present century, the clinician is at times directly concerned with the effects of marine toxic substances. For example, in Japan, puffer fish or tetrodotoxic poisoning is one of the major causes of deaths from food poisoning. Another marine toxin that has caused many explosive outbreaks of food poisoning. with many deaths in various parts of the world, comes from clams or mussels. This toxin, saxitoxin, is produced by species of marine protozoa including Gonyaulax, and is concentrated in filter-feeding molluscs. These two examples were of significant interest in medicine long before the technologic developments of the twentieth century. In the last few decades, entirely new problems of marine intoxication have arisen as a result of marine pollution from the disposal of industrial wastes in the sea. The most striking example of a man-made marine intoxication has been the outbreak of Minamata disease. In Minamata, Japan, the disposal of mercury-contaminated industrial wastes from a plastics factory into an enclosed bay, followed by human consumption of the contaminated fishes, crabs, or shellfish, led to many instances of acute cerebral degeneration. With the increasing exploration of the sea for both pleasure and economic exploitation, which is a feature of the second half of the twentieth century, it may be expected that the frequency and variety of human intoxications by marine creatures will be increased. This chapter reviews the neurologic effects of noxious substances of marine biologic origin. The subject is now developing so rapidly that overall surveys, such as this, of the general animal life of theocens will soon be beyond the scope of a single review. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the references given will enable the interested reader to pursue particular aspects further.