Distribution and elimination of brevetoxin PbTx-3 in rats

• Published in: Toxicon (Oxford) Vol. 28; no. 8; p. 903
• Main Authors: Poli, M A, Templeton, C B, Thompson, W L, Hewetson, J F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 1990
• Subjects: Animals; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Chromatography, Thin Layer; Feces - chemistry; Male; Marine Toxins - chemistry; Marine Toxins - pharmacokinetics; Muscles - chemistry; Oxocins; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Tissue Distribution; Tissue Extracts - chemistry
• ISSN: 0041-0101
• DOI: 10.1016/0041-0101(90)90020-8

After i.v. administration, [3H]PbTx-3 was rapidly cleared from the blood; less than 10% remained after 1 min. Within 30 min, radiolabel distributed to skeletal muscle (69.5%), liver (18.0%), and intestinal tract (8.0%). Over 24 hr, radiolabel decreased in muscle, remained constant in liver, and increased in the intestinal tract and feces. Elimination occurred via feces (75.1%) and urine (14.4%), with 9.0% remaining in the carcass after 6 days. This distribution and elimination profile suggested that the liver was the major organ of metabolism and that biliary excretion was an important route of elimination. Thin-layer chromatography confirmed the presence of brevetoxin metabolites in fecal extracts. Skeletal muscle does not appear to be a site of metabolism, but a storage compartment, from which toxin is slowly released prior to clearance by the liver. These studies are the first demonstration of in vivo brevetoxin metabolism in mammals.