Bistramide A, a new toxin from the urochordata Lissoclinum bistratum Sluiter: Isolation and preliminary characterization

Abstract

D. Gouiffes, M. Juge, N. Grimaud, L. Welin, M. P. Sauviat, Y. Barbin, D. Laurent, C. Roussakis, J. P. Henichart and J. F. Verbist. Bistramide A, a new toxin from the urochordata Lissoclinum bistratum Sluiter: isolation and preliminary characterization. Toxicon 26, 1129–1136, 1988.—Two cases of human intoxication caused by the lyophilized powder of Lissoclinum bistratum Sluiter, a New Caledonian ascidian, are reported. The symptoms observed were caused by a substance designated bistramide A (C 40H 68N 2O 8) of hitherto unknown chemical structure. Preliminary toxicological investigations indicate that bistramide A may effect the central nervous system, leading to paresthesia and loss of muscle tone. A progressive decrease in cardiac rhythm was also observed in animals. Bistramide A (1.4 × 10 −6 M) did not alter the resting potential of frog heart and skeletal muscle but reduced the amplitude and duration of cardiac action potential and prolonged the interval between action potentials. Bistramide A also has a marked cytotoxic effect on cancer cells KB ( ic 50 = 4.5 × 10 −8 M ) and P 388 ( ic 50 = 2.0 × 10 −8 M ) and on normal endothelial cells ( ic 50 = 2.2 × 10 −8 M ). However, it has not been possible to relate the cytotoxic property to the symptoms of intoxication. Bistramide A may originate from the urochordate itself or from symbiotic algae.