Restorative effect of mineral-encaging zeolite on metabolism of organotin, TBTCl, -intoxicated Euglena cell

Abstract

In our previous paper the authors reported the restoration promoting effect of physiologically functional materials processed water ( functional water) on tributyltin chloride (TBTCl) -intoxicated Euglena gracilis. Among the ‘functional waters’ examined, water processed with some mineral-encaging zeolites gave remarkable restoration effect on the TBTCl-intoxicated Euglenαcells. Our present study was to investigate the behavior of TBTCl in Euglena cells incubated with/without Fe-encaging zeolite processed water (Fe-zeolite-water). By subcellular fractionation of TBTCl-intoxicated Euglena gracilis Z cells, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, GLC and GC-MS,it was revealed that TBTCl was readily incorporated into the cell and localized in cytosol, nuclei and cell membrane fractions. After incubation with Fe-zeolite”water for 3 hrs, tin was found in the extracellular fraction, and intracellular distribution analysis revealed that tin was detected mainly in the microsomal fraction, which suggest participation of phase I biotransformation enzyme system. Whereas in the cells incubated without Fe-zeolite water, tin still remained in the cytosol fraction. GC-MS study revealed that dibutyl tin dichloride was the major metabolite of TBTCl. Those results indicate that the Fe-zeolite-water promoted biotransformation of TBTCl directly or indirectly.