LA JOLLA- Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute have succeeded in synthesizing the complex marine neurotoxin associated with the notorious "red tide". In addition to leading to improved methods for dealing with "red tide" phenomenon, this research could lead to a wealth of biological and medical applications, the researchers say.

The successful synthesis of the toxin, called brevitoxin B, is the culmination of 21 years of research. The researchers broke down the complex molecule into smaller components and used techniques such as X-ray crystallography to characterize its structure. Having defined the molecular components and the three dimensional structure of the molecule, the next, even more difficult task was to synthesize the molecule "from scratch".

"The molecular structure of brevitoxin B is architecturally elegant and extremely complex. Ever since its discovery in 1981, organic chemists have viewed its synthesis as a hopelessly remote possibiltiy. The resolution of this problem may impact such diverse scientific disciplines as organic chemistry, marine biology, neuropharmacology and medicine," notes lead researcher Dr. K.C. Nicolaou, department of chemistry, Scripps Research Institute.

Synthetic forms of brevetoxin will probably prove useful intially as tools to study and explore ion channel and other cellular mechanisms. The research could lead to the development of tests to distinguish between posisonous and non-poisonous fish. The new findings could also lead to new approaches to cleaning up the marine environemnt.

Researchers also hope to develop effective therapies for treating humans exposed to the toxins. The findings also have important implications for neurobiochemical research, noted Dr. Nicolaou.

The massive amount of innovative research that went into the charcterization and synthesis of the brevitoxin also yielded some more general benefits to biological researchers. New methodologies developed by the researchers may provide better and more efficient ways to produce organic molecules, which in turn should be useful in the development of everything from pharmaceuticals and food additives to plastics and pesticides, he added.

Red tides are caused by families of marine biotoxins relased by certain species of phytoplankton. They get their name from the pigments in some of the algae which causes the water to appear red or brown. Red tides are responsible for massive fish kills and pose a hazard to large marine mammals such as whales and dolphins. Human poisoning incidents resulting from consuming poisoned seafood have been reported throughout the world.

Environmental researchers believe the incidence of "red tide" outbreaks is on the increase. The increase has been attributed to increasing environemntal pollution and to shipping practices which spread and facilitate algae growth. Some of the toxic algae species encapsulate themselves in hard cysts, reamining dormant as they float around the oceans of the world, waiting for favorable conditions to bloom.

Two articles on the brevitoxin research appeared in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1/25/95.

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