Abstract
Surf clams, Mesodesma donacium, were shown to accumulate toxins from Dinophysis acuminata blooms. Only pectenotoxin 2 (PTX2) and some of its derivatives were found, and no toxins from the okadaic acid group were detected. PTX2 seems to be transformed to PTX2 seco-acid (PTX2sa), which was found in concentrations more than ten-fold those of PTX2. The seco-acid was transformed to acyl-derivatives by esterification with different fatty acids. The estimated amount of these derivatives in the mollusks was much higher than that of PTX2. Most esters were originated by even carbon chain fatty acids, but some originated by odd carbon number were also found in noticeable concentrations. Some peaks of toxin in the bivalves did not coincide with those of Dinophysis abundance, suggesting that there were large differences in toxin content per cell among the populations that developed throughout the year. The observed depuration (from the digestive gland) was fast (more than 0.2 day−1), and was faster for PTX2 than for PTX2sa, which in turn was faster than that of esters of PTX2sa. PTX2 and PTX2sa were distributed nearly equally between the digestive gland and the remaining tissues, but less than 5% of the palmytoyl-esters were found outside the digestive gland.
Highlights
Toxins produced by the dinoflagellate genus Dinophysis frequently accumulate in bivalves making them unsafe for human consumption and leading to closures of fisheries or marketing of aquaculture products
We studied D. acuminata populations, and the accumulation in the surf clam south, but some closures, mostly of the economically important aquaculture of the pectinid Argopecten
In Chile, the presence of Dinophysis acuminata has been described in several distinct In Chile, the presence of Dinophysis acuminata has been described in several distinct geographical locations
Summary
Toxins produced by the dinoflagellate genus Dinophysis frequently accumulate in bivalves making them unsafe for human consumption and leading to closures of fisheries or marketing of aquaculture products. Some species produce only pectenotoxins (Figure 1) while others usually produce toxins of both groups, in Toxins 2018, 10, 314; doi:10.3390/toxins10080314 www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins exposure [10]. Due to their toxicity by intraperitoneal injection (and some contradictory results about the effects of oral administration) in mice and rats, some regulatory systems, such as the European one, still maintain quarantine levels for these compounds [11,12], with a noticeable incidence for products that target these markets
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