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Quantification and profiling of lipophilic marine toxins in microalgae by UHPLC coupled to high-resolution orbitrap mass spectrometry

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Abstract

During the last decade, a significant increase in the occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs), linked to repetitive cases of shellfish contamination has become a public health concern and therefore, accurate methods to detect marine toxins in different matrices are required. In this study, we developed a method for profiling lipophilic marine microalgal toxins based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HR-Orbitrap MS). Extraction of selected toxins (okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX-1), pectenotoxin-2 (PTX-2), azaspiracid-1 (AZA-1), yessotoxin (YTX) and 13-desmethyl spirolide C (SPX-1)) was optimized using a Plackett-Burman design. Three key algal species, i.e., Prorocentrum lima, Protoceratium reticulatum and Alexandrium ostenfeldii were used to test the extraction efficiency of OA, YTXs and SPXs, respectively. Prorocentrum micans, fortified with certified reference solutions, was used for recovery studies. The quantitative and confirmatory performance of the method was evaluated according to CD 2002/657/EC. Limits of detection and quantification ranged between 0.006 and 0.050 ng mL−1 and 0.018 to 0.227 ng mL−1, respectively. The intra-laboratory reproducibility ranged from 6.8 to 11.7 %, repeatability from 6.41 to 11.5 % and mean corrected recoveries from 81.9 to 119.6 %. In addition, algae cultures were retrospectively screened for analogues and metabolites through a homemade database. Using the ToxID software programme, 18 toxin derivates were detected in the extract of three toxin producing microalgae species. In conclusion, the generic extraction and full-scan HRMS approach offers an excellent quantitative performance and simultaneously allows to profile analogues and metabolites of marine toxins in microalgae.

Optimization of extraction, detection and quantification of lipophilic marine toxins in microalgae by UHPLC-HR Orbitrap MS

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Mieke Naessens, Ine Opsteyn, Dirk Stockx, Nancy De Saeyer, Marc Vanderborght, Julie Kiebooms and Nathalie De Clercq for their technical contribution to this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Laboratory of Chemical Analysis, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium

    Gabriel Orellana, Lieven Van Meulebroek, Sarah Van Vooren &  Lynn Vanhaecke

  2. Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Jozef Plateaustraat 22, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Gabriel Orellana, Maarten De Rijcke, Michiel Vandegehuchte & Colin R. Janssen

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  1. Gabriel Orellana
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  2. Lieven Van Meulebroek
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Correspondence to Lynn Vanhaecke.

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Published in the topical collection High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry in Food and Environmental Analysis with guest editor Aldo Laganà.

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Orellana, G., Van Meulebroek, L., Van Vooren, S. et al. Quantification and profiling of lipophilic marine toxins in microalgae by UHPLC coupled to high-resolution orbitrap mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 407, 6345–6356 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-015-8637-y

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