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Chemical, molecular, and eco-toxicological investigation of Ostreopsis sp. from Cyprus Island: structural insights into four new ovatoxins by LC-HRMS/MS

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Abstract

Blooms of benthic dinoflagellates of the genus Ostreopsis (mainly O. cf. ovata and occasionally O. cf. siamensis) represent a serious concern for humans in the Mediterranean area, due to production of palytoxin-like compounds listed among the most potent marine toxins known. In this work, six strains of Ostreopsis sp. from Cyprus Island were analyzed through an integrated approach based on molecular, chemical, and eco-toxicological methods. Cypriot Ostreopsis sp. was found to be a species distinct from O. cf. ovata and O. cf. siamensis, belonging to the Atlantic/Mediterranean Ostreopsis spp. clade. Some variability in toxin profiles emerged: three strains produced ovatoxin-a (OVTX-a), OVTX-d, OVTX-e, and isobaric palytoxin, so far found only in O. cf. ovata; the other three strains produced only new palytoxin-like compounds, which we named ovatoxin-i, ovatoxin-j1, ovatoxin-j2, and ovatoxin-k. The new ovatoxins present the same carbon skeleton as ovatoxin-a, differing primarily in an additional C2H2O2 moiety and an unsaturation in the region C49–C52. Other minor structural differences were found, including the presence of a hydroxyl group at C44 (in OVTX-j1 and OVTX-k) and the lack of a hydroxyl group in the region C53–C78 (in OVTX-i and OVTX-j1). The toxin content of the analyzed Ostreopsis sp. strains was in the range 0.06–2.8 pg cell−1, definitely lower than that of a Ligurian O. cf. ovata strain cultured under the same conditions. Accordingly, an eco-toxicological test on Artemia salina nauplii demonstrated that Ostreopsis sp. presents a very low toxicity compared to O. cf. ovata. The whole of these data suggest that Ostreopsis sp. from Cyprus Island poses a relatively low risk to humans.

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Acknowledgments

This research was carried out in the frame of Programme STAR Linea 1 2013 (VALTOX, Napoli_call2013_08) financially supported by UniNA and Compagnia di San Paolo, EU (European Union), ENPI (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument), and CBCMED (Cross Border Cooperation in the Mediterranean) M3-HABs II-B/2.1/0096. The authors are particularly thankful to Prof. Roberto Pronzato (University of Genova) and Demetris Kletou (Marine and Environmental Research Lab Ltd, Cyprus) for supporting the collection and shipment of samples.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131, Naples, Italy

      Luciana Tartaglione, Antonia Mazzeo, Carmela Dell’Aversano, Martino Forino & Patrizia Ciminiello

    2. DISTAV, University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genoa, Italy

      Valentina Giussani, Valentina Asnaghi & Mariachiara Chiantore

    3. DISB, University of Urbino, Viale Trieste 296, 61121, Pesaro, Italy

      Samuela Capellacci & Antonella Penna

    4. CNR, Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR), Via De Marini 6, 16149, Genoa, Italy

      Marco Faimali

    5. Tama Laboratory, Japan Food Research Laboratories, 6-11-10 Nagayama, Tama-shi, Tokyo, 206-0025, Japan

      Takeshi Yasumoto

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    1. Luciana Tartaglione
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    Correspondence to Carmela Dell’Aversano.

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    Luciana Tartaglione and Antonia Mazzeo contributed equally to this work.

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    Tartaglione, L., Mazzeo, A., Dell’Aversano, C. et al. Chemical, molecular, and eco-toxicological investigation of Ostreopsis sp. from Cyprus Island: structural insights into four new ovatoxins by LC-HRMS/MS. Anal Bioanal Chem 408, 915–932 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-015-9183-3

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