Determination of pyraclostrobin dynamic residual distribution in tilapia tissues by UPLC-MS/MS under acute toxicity conditions

Abstract

As a lipophilic fungicide, pyraclostrobin is highly toxic to aquatic organisms, especially to fish. In recent years, research has mainly focused on the pyraclostrobin residue in fish tissues under chronic toxicity, but less is known about its distribution in fish tissues under acute toxicity conditions. In this study, the distribution of pyraclostrobin in fish tissues (blood, liver, muscle and gill) was determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The purification effects of different purification materials [1) mixtures of PSA, C18 and MgSO4; 2) QuEChERS-PC; and 3) Oasis HLB SPE] were compared for the detection of pyraclostrobin in fish tissues. Finally, the quick and easy clean-up tool of the Oasis HLB SPE procedure was selected. Under optimum conditions, the linearities had a good relationship (determination coefficient R2 > 0.999). The mean recoveries of the analyte for all tested concentrations ranged from 86.94% to 108.81% with RSDs of 0.7%–4.9%. The pyraclostrobin residue amount was much different in fish tissues. Furthermore, the pyraclostrobin residue in different fish tissues increased initially and then decreased gradually. The concentrations in each tissue were initially ranked before 120 min in the following order: gill > liver > blood > muscle. These phenomena may be attributed to the stress response of fish under acute poisoning. This is the first study to document the distribution of pyraclostrobin in fish tissues under acute toxicity conditions, and it provides reference for the management of agrochemicals in terms of aquatic ecological risks.