Novel Methods for Marine Toxins Detection and Quantification 2.0

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Toxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 7968

Special Issue Editors

Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere - IPMA, Avenida de Brasília, 1449-006 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: analytical determination of marine biotoxins in seafood and environmental matrices; kinetics and toxicity studies of biotoxins in shellfish and finfish; toxicological effects of marine biotoxins; induction of enzymatic metabolism and oxidative stress; partitioning of biotoxins in the water column and transport mechanisms during different phases of algal blooms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
CCMAR—Center of Marine Sciences, Campus of Gambelas, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: microalgae; metabolites; biotoxins; chemical-interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine biotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by certain microalgae species that accumulate in filter-feeding organisms (e.g., bivalve mollusks), and pose a threat to humans that consume them. New directions in marine toxin detection and quantification are constantly needed in order to deal with challenges posed by changes in climate conditions. Harmful algal blooms appear to be increasing in frequency and intensity, and toxins endemic to tropical regions are spreading to temperate waters. Fortunately, novel technologies are becoming available, improving our ability and capability to detect and quantify marine toxins. This Special Issue aims to continue promoting the publication of research articles devoted to the development of novel methods or the optimization of critical steps for improving the detection and quantification of marine toxins in biological and environmental matrices.

Dr. Pedro Reis Costa
Dr. Sandra Lage
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • marine biotoxins
  • okadaic acid
  • saxitoxins
  • domoic acid
  • emerging toxins
  • tetrodotoxins
  • ciguatera
  • seafood safety
  • harmful algal blooms

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2726 KiB  
Article
First Report of Two Gymnodimines and Two Tetrodotoxin Analogues in Invertebrates from the North Atlantic Coast of Spain
by Araceli E. Rossignoli, Carmen Mariño, Helena Martín and Juan Blanco
Mar. Drugs 2023, 21(4), 232; https://doi.org/10.3390/md21040232 - 05 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1328
Abstract
Gymnodimine D (GYM D), 16-desmethyl gymnodimine D (16-desmethyl GYM D), and two tetrodotoxin analogues have been found in invertebrates obtained from the north Atlantic coast of Spain from May 2021 to October 2022. It is the first report of GYMD and 16-desmethyl GYM [...] Read more.
Gymnodimine D (GYM D), 16-desmethyl gymnodimine D (16-desmethyl GYM D), and two tetrodotoxin analogues have been found in invertebrates obtained from the north Atlantic coast of Spain from May 2021 to October 2022. It is the first report of GYMD and 16-desmethyl GYM D in invertebrates worldwide and of the tetrodotoxin analogues, 5,6,11 trideoxy tetrodotoxin (5,6,11 trideoxy TTX) and its isomer (referred to as 5,6,11 trideoxy-epi-TTX), in the north Atlantic Coast of Spain. In this study, we also report for the first time the detection of tetrodotoxin (TTX) in three species (the cnidaria Calliactis parasitica, an unidentified species, and the bivalve Tellina donacina). The prevalence was medium for GYM D and 16-desmethyl GYM D and low for TTXs overall. The concentrations recorded were variable, with maximum values of GYM D in the bivalve Cerastoderma edule (8.8 μg GYM A equivalents kg−1), of 16-desmethyl GYM D in the bivalve Magellana gigas (10 μg GYM A equivalents kg−1) and of TTX and 5,6,11 trideoxy TTX in the cnidaria C. parasitica (49.7 and 233 μg TTX equivalents kg−1, respectively). There is very scarce information about these compounds. Therefore, the reporting of these new detections will increase the knowledge on the current incidence of marine toxins in Europe that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), in particular, and the scientific community, in general, have. This study also highlights the importance of analyzing toxin analogues and metabolites for effective monitoring programs and adequate health protection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods for Marine Toxins Detection and Quantification 2.0)
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27 pages, 5710 KiB  
Article
Dinophysis acuminata or Dinophysis acuta: What Makes the Difference in Highly Stratified Fjords?
by Ángela M. Baldrich, Patricio A. Díaz, Gonzalo Álvarez, Iván Pérez-Santos, Camila Schwerter, Manuel Díaz, Michael Araya, María Gabriela Nieves, Camilo Rodríguez-Villegas, Facundo Barrera, Concepción Fernández-Pena, Sara Arenas-Uribe, Pilar Navarro and Beatriz Reguera
Mar. Drugs 2023, 21(2), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/md21020064 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2005
Abstract
Dinophysis acuminata and D. acuta, which follows it seasonally, are the main producers of lipophilic toxins in temperate coastal waters, including Southern Chile. Strains of the two species differ in their toxin profiles and impacts on shellfish resources. D. acuta is considered the [...] Read more.
Dinophysis acuminata and D. acuta, which follows it seasonally, are the main producers of lipophilic toxins in temperate coastal waters, including Southern Chile. Strains of the two species differ in their toxin profiles and impacts on shellfish resources. D. acuta is considered the major cause of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) outbreaks in Southern Chile, but there is uncertainty about the toxicity of D. acuminata, and little information on microscale oceanographic conditions promoting their blooms. During the austral summer of 2020, intensive sampling was carried out in two northern Patagonian fjords, Puyuhuapi (PUY) and Pitipalena (PIT), sharing D. acuminata dominance and D. acuta near detection levels. Dinophysistoxin 1 (DTX 1) and pectenotoxin 2 (PTX 2) were present in all net tow samples but OA was not detected. Although differing in hydrodynamics and sampling dates, D. acuminata shared behavioural traits in the two fjords: cell maxima (>103 cells L−1) in the interface (S ~ 21) between the estuarine freshwater (EFW)) and saline water (ESW) layers; and phased-cell division (µ = 0.3–0.4 d−1) peaking after dawn, and abundance of ciliate prey. Niche analysis (Outlying Mean Index, OMI) of D. acuta with a high marginality and much lower tolerance than D. acuminata indicated an unfavourable physical environment for D. acuta (bloom failure). Comparison of toxin profiles and Dinophysis niches in three contrasting years in PUY—2020 (D. acuminata bloom), 2018 (exceptional bloom of D. acuta), and 2019 (bloom co-occurrence of the two species)—shed light on the vertical gradients which promote each species. The presence of FW (S < 11) and thermal inversion may be used to provide short-term forecasts of no risk of D. acuta blooms and OA occurrence, but D. acuminata associated with DTX 1 pose a risk of DSP events in North Patagonian fjords. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods for Marine Toxins Detection and Quantification 2.0)
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21 pages, 6435 KiB  
Article
Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in the Gastropod Concholepas concholepas: Variability, Toxin Profiles and Mechanisms for Toxicity Reduction
by Miriam Seguel, Carlos Molinet, Manuel Díaz, Gonzalo Álvarez, Carlos García, Andrés Marín, María Olga Millanao and Patricio A. Díaz
Mar. Drugs 2023, 21(1), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/md21010044 - 06 Jan 2023
Viewed by 2381
Abstract
Harmful algal blooms of toxin-producing microalgae are recurrent in southern Chile. Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) outbreaks pose the main threat to public health and the fishing industry in the Patagonian fjords. This study aims to increase understanding of the individual and spatial variability [...] Read more.
Harmful algal blooms of toxin-producing microalgae are recurrent in southern Chile. Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) outbreaks pose the main threat to public health and the fishing industry in the Patagonian fjords. This study aims to increase understanding of the individual and spatial variability of PSP toxicity in the foot of Concholepas concholepas, Chile’s most valuable commercial benthic invertebrate species, extracted from the Guaitecas Archipelago in Chilean Patagonia. The objective is to determine the effect of pigment removal and freezing during the detoxification process. A total of 150 specimens (≥90 mm length) were collected from this area. The live specimens were transferred to a processing plant, where they were measured and gutted, the foot was divided into two equal parts, and pigment was manually removed from one of these parts. The PSP toxicity of each foot (edible tissue) was determined by mouse bioassay (MBA) and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and postcolumn oxidation (HPLC-FLD PCOX). The individual toxicity per loco, as the species is known locally, varied from <30 to 146 μg STX diHCL eq 100 g−1 (CV = 43.83%) and from 5.96 to 216.3 μg STX diHCL eq 100 g−1 (CV = 34.63%), using MBA and HPLC, respectively. A generalized linear model showed a negative relation between individual weight and toxicity. The toxicological profile showed a dominance of STX (>95%), neoSTX and GTX2. The removal of pigment produced a reduction in PSP toxicity of up to 90% and could represent a good detoxification tool moving forward. The freezing process in the muscle with pigment did not produce a clear pattern. There is a significant reduction (p < 0.05) of PSP toxicity via PCOX but not MBA. Furthermore, the study discusses possible management and commercialization implications of the findings regarding small-scale fisheries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods for Marine Toxins Detection and Quantification 2.0)
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11 pages, 1083 KiB  
Article
LC-HRMS Profiling of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in Mytilus galloprovincialis after a Gymnodinium catenatum Bloom
by Sandra Lage, Pedro Reis Costa, Adelino V. M. Canário and José P. Da Silva
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(11), 680; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20110680 - 28 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1594
Abstract
Saxitoxin and its more than 50 analogues are a group of naturally occurring neurotoxins collectively designated as paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs). PSTs are toxic to humans and maximum legal limits in seafood have been implemented by regulatory authorities worldwide. In the European Union, [...] Read more.
Saxitoxin and its more than 50 analogues are a group of naturally occurring neurotoxins collectively designated as paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs). PSTs are toxic to humans and maximum legal limits in seafood have been implemented by regulatory authorities worldwide. In the European Union, monitoring of PSTs is performed using the AOAC Official Method 2005.06, based on liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection (LC- FLD). However, this method has been suggested to not effectively detect the emerging C-11 hydroxyl (M-toxins) and benzoate (GC-toxins) analogues, with these analogues currently not being surveyed in monitoring programs. In this study, a liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) method was used to search for these emerging PSTs in mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, contaminated following an intense Gymnodinium catenatum bloom in the Tagus estuary (Lisbon, Portugal). Five M-toxins (M1, M2, M6, dcM6, and dcM10), but no GC-toxins, were detected in the mussels’ whole-soft body tissue. Moreover, the classical PSTs (C1 to C4, GTX 4 to GTX6, dcGTX1 to dcGTX4, dcSTX, dcNEO, and STX) were also found and comprised the largest fraction of the PSTs’ profile. The presence of unregulated PSTs in edible mussel samples suggests potential seafood safety risks and urges further research to determine the frequency of these analogues in seafood and their contribution to toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods for Marine Toxins Detection and Quantification 2.0)
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