Abstract
Lipophilic marine toxins pose a serious threat for consumers and an enormous economic problem for shellfish producers. Synergistic interaction among toxins may play an important role in the toxicity of shellfish and consequently in human intoxications. In order to study the toxic profile of molluscs, sampled during toxic episodes occurring in different locations in Galicia in 2014, shellfish were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), the official method for the detection of lipophilic toxins. The performance of this procedure was demonstrated to be fit for purpose and was validated in house following European guidelines. The vast majority of toxins present in shellfish belonged to the okadaic acid (OA) group and some samples from a particular area contained yessotoxin (YTX). Since these toxins occur very often with other lipophilic toxins, we evaluated the potential interactions among them. A human neuroblastoma cell line was used to study the possible synergies of OA with other lipophilic toxins. Results show that combination of OA with dinophysistoxin 2 (DTX2) or YTX enhances the toxicity triggered by OA, decreasing cell viability and cell proliferation, depending on the toxin concentration and incubation time. The effects of other lipophilic toxins as 13-desmethyl Spirolide C were also evaluated in vitro.
Highlights
Toxic episodes are originated by harmful microalgae that produce marine biotoxins
We have focused on lipophilic marine biotoxins that are currently regulated by European Union (EU) legislation, namely okadaic acid (OA) and analogues, the azaspiracid (AZA)-group toxins, the yessotoxin (YTX)-group toxins and the pectenotoxin (PTX)-group toxins
With the aim to characterize the lipophilic toxin profiles of shellfish farmed in Galicia, a complete analysis of the toxin profiles was carried out using the LC–MS/MS technique
Summary
Toxic episodes are originated by harmful microalgae that produce marine biotoxins These compounds constitute, at present, the most important challenge for shellfish harvesting and marketing. Other lipophilic toxins have been isolated in Galicia: PTXs [9,11,12], YTXs [9,13], AZAs [14], and 13-desmethyl spirolide C (SPX-1) [9,11,15]. Spirolides were discovered in Nova Scotia (Canada) in the early 1990s during the routine monitoring of DSP toxins [50] These compounds are produced by the dinoflagellates Alexandrium ostenfeldii and Alexandrium peruvianum [51,52,53]. Both goals represent a real scenario where consumption of bivalves containing several types of lipophilic toxins may occur
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