Innovative detection methods for aquatic algal toxins and their presence in the food chain

Detection of aquatic algal toxins has become critical for the protection of human health. During the last 5 years, techniques such as optical, electrochemical, and piezoelectric biosensors or fluorescent-microsphere-based assays have been developed for the detection of aquatic algal toxins, in addition to optimization of existing techniques, to achieve higher sensitivities, specificity, and speed or multidetection. New toxins have also been incorporated in the array of analytical and biological methods. The impact of the former innovation on this field is highlighted by recent changes in legal regulations, with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry becoming the official reference method for marine lipophilic toxins and replacing the mouse bioassay in many countries. This review summarizes the large international effort to provide routine testing laboratories with fast, sensitive, high-throughput, multitoxin, validated methods for the screening of seafood, algae, and water samples.     

Comparison of reversed‐phase liquid chromatography and hydrophilic interaction chromatography for the fingerprint analysis of Radix isatidis

Radix isatidis is a famous anti‐influenza virus herbal medicine traditionally taken as a water decoction. However, the chemical fingerprint analysis of Radix isatidis is dominantly based on RPLC, from which it is difficult to obtain fingerprint information of hydrophilic compounds. Here, we developed the separation of Radix isatidis by RPLC and hydrophilic interaction chromatography, comparing the traditional RPLC fingerprint with the hydrophilic interaction chromatography fingerprint. Besides, an anti‐viral assay of Radix isatidis was conducted to evaluate its efficacy. The fingerprint–efficacy relationships between the fingerprints and the anti‐viral activity were further investigated with principal component regression analysis. The results showed that the anti‐viral activity correlated better with the hydrophilic interaction chromatography fingerprint than with the RPLC fingerprint. This study indicates that hydrophilic interaction chromatography could not only be a complementary method to increase the fingerprint coverage of conventional RPLC fingerprint, but also can better represent the efficacy and quality of Radix isatidis.     

Separation of polar mushroom toxins by mixed-mode hydrophilic and ionic interaction liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) is commonly used to analyze nonvolatile contaminants and naturally occurring toxins in foods. However, polar compounds, such as hydrophilic polypeptides and quaternary ammonium salts, are often not satisfactorily separated by RPLC and present a challenge for analytical scientists. In this study, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC), on an amide-based stationary phase in combination with electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS), is successfully employed to simultaneously separate polar mushroom toxins, including amanitins and phallotoxins, which are cyclic oligopeptides and muscarine, a quaternary ammonium compound, in mushrooms. The sensitivity of different ionization modes is studied, and the positive ionization mode is found to provide a more sensitive and effective tool for the unambiguous identification of the concerned polar toxins because of their characteristic fragmentation patterns. The properties of the mobile phase are also found to have significant impacts on the separation. At a high acetonitrile (ACN) concentration, hydrophilic interaction dominates, and all analytes under study demonstrate a much higher affinity with the stationary phase. The addition of methanol (MeOH) as a modifier could further enhance the HILIC separation for amanitins, phallotoxins, and muscarine. Valley-to-valley separation is achieved upon the optimatizatiqn of the mobile phase (comprising of ACN, MeOH, and ammonium formate buffer at pH approximately 3.5) and the solvent gradient. HILIC coupled with ESI-MS-MS is demonstrated to be a novel technique for the simultaneous separation and confirmatory analysis of the concerned polar toxins by providing an environment of solubility and retention that could not be achieved through the use of RPLC.     

Screening of lipophilic marine toxins in shellfish and algae: development of a library using liquid chromatography coupled to orbitrap mass spectrometry

Most liquid chromatography (LC) mass spectrometric (MS) methods used for routine monitoring of lipophilic marine toxins focus on the analysis of the 13 toxins that are stated in European Union legislation. However, to date over 200 lipophilic marine toxins have been described in the literature. To fill this gap, a screening method using LC coupled to high resolution (HR) orbitrap MS (resolution 100 000) for marine lipophilic toxins has been developed. The method can detect a wide variety of okadaic acid (OA), yessotoxin (YTX), azaspiracid (AZA) and pectenotoxin (PTX) group toxins. To build a library of toxins, shellfish and algae samples with various toxin profiles were obtained from Norway, Ireland, United Kingdom, Portugal and Italy. Each sample extract was analyzed with and without collision induced dissociation fragmentation. Based on their mass and specific fragmentation pattern, 85 different toxins were identified comprising 33 OA, 26 YTX, 18 AZA and 8 PTX group toxins. A major complication of full scan HRMS is the huge amount of data generated (file size), which restricts the possibility of a fast search. A software program called metAlign was used to reduce the orbitrap MS data files. The 200-fold reduced data files were screened using an additional software tool for metAlign: ‘Search_LCMS’. A search library was constructed for the 85 identified toxins. The library contains information about compound name, accurate mass, mass deviation (<5 ppm), retention time (min) and retention time deviation (<0.2 min). An important feature is that the library can easily be exchanged with other instruments as the generated metAlign files are not brand-specific. The developed screening procedure was tested by analyzing a set of known positive and blank samples, processing them with metAlign and searching with Search_LCMS. A toxin profile was determined for each of the contaminated samples. No toxins were found in the blank sample, which is in line with the results obtained for this sample in the routine monitoring program (rat bioassay and tandem LC–MS).     

A reversed-phase/hydrophilic interaction mixed-mode C18-Diol stationary phase for multiple applications

A mixed-mode chromatographic packing material, C18 and diol groups modified silica (C18-Diol), was prepared with controllable hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity. It demonstrated excellent aqueous compatibility and stability in aqueous mobile phase; compared to the traditional C18 column, improved peak shape of basic analytes was also obtained. Additionally, it exhibited both reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RPLC) and hydrophilic interaction chromatographic (HILIC) performance; the analyte separation scope was thus enlarged, demonstrated by simultaneous separation of twenty acids, bases and neutrals. More interestingly, a novel on-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography on the single column (2D-LC-1C) was established by modifying the high performance liquid chromatographic instrument only with the addition of an extra six-port two-position valve. The early co-eluted components of the extract of Lonicera japonica on the 1st-dimension (RPLC) were collected for the online re-injection to the 2nd-dimension (HILIC) by conveniently varying the mobile phase components. Six more peaks were obtained. The established system was simple, easy operation and low cost, which had advantages in analyzing complicated samples.     

How the marine biotoxins affect human health

Several marine microalgae produce dangerous toxins very damaging to human health, aquatic ecosystems and coastal resources. These Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in recent decades seem greatly increased regarding frequency, severity and biogeographical level, causing serious health risks as a consequence of the consumption of contaminated seafood. Toxins can cause various clinically described syndromes, characterised by a wide range of symptoms: amnesic (ASP), diarrhoetic (DSP), azaspirazid (AZP), neurotoxic (NSP) and paralytic (PSP) shellfish poisonings and ciguatera fish poisoning. The spread of HABs is probably a result of anthropogenic activities and climate change, that influence marine planktonic systems, including global warming, habitat modification, eutrophication and growth of exogenous species in response to human pressures. HABs are a worldwide matter that requests local solutions and international cooperation. This review supplies an overview of HAB phenomena, and, in particular, we describe the major consequences of HABs on human health.     

亲水/反相二维制备液相色谱法分离纯化络石藤中的化学成分

建立了亲水/反相二维制备液相色谱(Pre-2D-HILIC/RPLC)分离纯化络石藤中化学成分的分析方法。络石藤药材经醇提、活性炭脱色后用反相固相萃取柱除去色素和强极性物质,最终得到干燥的浅黄色粉末。一维亲水色谱选择Click XIon色谱柱(250 mm×20 mm,10μm)作为固定相,水和乙腈作为流动相,进行梯度洗脱,以紫外触发模式收集馏分,共得到15个组分。二维反相色谱选择C18色谱柱(250 mm×20 mm,5μm)作为固定相,水和乙腈作为流动相,进行梯度洗脱,最终得到14个高纯度化合物,并通过质谱和核磁共振对其进行确认。实验结果表明,该法具有良好的正交选择性,可以有效提高分离度和峰容量,对于分离络石藤等复杂样品具有重要意义。     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定海水悬浮颗粒物中的8种典型脂溶性藻毒素

海水悬浮颗粒物对海洋环境中污染物的迁移转化有着重要的影响,在海水悬浮颗粒物上富集的脂溶性藻毒素会严重的毒害海洋滤食性生物。本研究建立了海水悬浮颗粒物中8种典型脂溶性藻毒素同步测定的超高效液相色谱-串联质谱( UPLC-MS/MS)分析方法。海水悬浮颗粒物样品经甲醇超声辅助提取后,以5 mmol/L 乙酸铵水溶液和乙腈为流动相,经1.7微米C18色谱柱分离,采用电喷雾串联质谱( ESI-MS/MS)多反应监测( MRM )模式检测,外标法定量。结果表明,在最佳实验条件下,8种目标物在5 min内分离良好,加标回收率在83.8%~110.4%之间,方法具有良好的精密度(相对标准偏差( RSD)≤14.1%)和灵敏度(检出限介于2.9~103 pg/g之间),在线性范围内,相关系数(R2)均大于0.996,能满足海水悬浮颗粒物中8种典型脂溶性藻毒素同步检测的要求。采用本方法初步分析了青岛沿岸海域海水悬浮颗粒物中的脂溶性藻毒素,其中PTX2被检出,含量最高可达790 pg/g(干重)。     

Determination of marine biotoxins relevant for regulations: from the mouse bioassay to coupled LC-MS methods

The frequency of occurrence and intensity of harmful algal blooms (HABs) appear to be increasing on a global scale. Consequently, methods were established for the evaluation of possible hazards caused by the enrichment of algal toxins in the marine food chain. Different clinical types of algae-related poisoning have attracted scientific attention: paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP), and amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). In several countries fish specialties are consumed which may be contaminated with algal toxins typical for the respective region (e.g., ciguatera and tetrodotoxins). Bioassays are common methods for the determination of marine biotoxins. However, biological tests are not completely satisfactory, due to the low sensitivity and the absence of specialized variations. Moreover, there is growing resistance against the use of animal experiments. Therefore, many efforts have been made to determine algal toxins with chemical methods. In this context LC-MS methods replaced HPLC methods with optical detectors, allowing both effective seafood control and monitoring of phytoplankton in terms of the different groups of marine biotoxins.     

Polarity‐based fractionation in proteomics: hydrophilic interaction vs reversed‐phase liquid chromatography

During recent decades, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) ahs been introduced to fractionate or purify especially polar solutes such as peptides and proteins while reversed‐phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) is also a common strategy. RPLC is also a common dimension in multidimensional chromatography. In this study, the potential of HILIC vs RPLC chromatography was compared for proteome mapping of human peripheral blood mononuclear cell extract. In HILIC a silica‐based stationary phase and for RPLC a C₁₈ column were applied. Then separated proteins were eluted to an ion trap mass spectrometry system. Our results showed that the HILIC leads to more proteins being identified in comparison to RPLC. Among the total 181 identified proteins, 56 and 38 proteins were fractionated specifically by HILIC and RPLC, respectively. In order to demonstrate this, the physicochemical properties of identified proteins such as polarity and hydrophobicity were considered. This analysis indicated that polarity may play a major role in the HILIC separation of proteins vs RPLC. Using gene ontology enrichment analysis, it was also observed that differences in physicochemical properties conform to the cellular compartment and biological features. Finally, this study highlighted the potential of HILIC and the great orthogonality of RPLC in gel‐free proteomic studies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于二醛微晶纤维素功能化C18的反相/亲水色谱固定相的制备

通过十八烷基胺的氨基与二醛微晶纤维素的醛基共价键合,制备了基于二醛微晶纤维素(DMCC)官能化C₁₈的新型反相/亲水色谱固定相(C₁₈-DMCC/SiO₂),该色谱固定相被用于反相色谱(RPLC)和亲水相互作用色谱(HILIC)模式。C₁₈-DMCC/SiO₂色谱柱展现了良好的疏水选择性和芳香选择性,在反相色谱模式下可分离烷基苯和多环芳烃(PAHs)。苯胺类、酚类和糖苷类等极性化合物被用于评估该色谱柱在反相色谱模式下的极性选择性,商品C₁₈柱作对照柱,色谱评价结果令人满意。核酸碱基被用于评估C₁₈-DMCC/SiO₂色谱柱的亲水色谱性能。通过考察有机溶剂含量对分析物保留的影响,发现该新型色谱固定相具有反相/亲水色谱的典型特征。     

Serial coupling of RP and zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction LC–MS: Suspects screening of diclofenac transformation products by oxidation with a boron‐doped diamond electrode

The presence of pollutants and their transformation products (TPs) in the water system is a big concern because of possible adverse effects on the aquatic environment. Their identification is still a challenge that requires the combination of different chromatographic techniques. In the current research, serial coupling of RPLC and zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction LC with TOF‐MS was investigated as a single separation technique for the screening of suspected TPs from electrochemical oxidation of diclofenac using a boron‐doped diamond electrode. Diclofenac oxidation was performed in three water matrices in order to study its transformation in different chemical contexts. 47 TPs resulting from similar oxidation methods were selected from the literature. As in most cases standards were not available, an identification procedure based on accurate mass data and chromatographic behavior was proposed. According to this procedure, 11 suspected TPs, previously analyzed by LC, GC, or ion chromatography, were detected in a single injection. The method was proved to be reliable and versatile and it could be efficiently employed as a comprehensive analytical tool for the simultaneous analysis of compounds in a wide polarity range.     

Lipidomics of the Edible Brown Alga Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) by Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Electrospray Ionization and Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The lipidome of a brown seaweed commonly known as wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), which is grown and consumed around the world, including Western countries, as a healthy nutraceutical food or supplement, was here extensively examined. The study was focused on the characterization of phospholipids (PL) and glycolipids (GL) by liquid chromatography (LC), either hydrophilic interaction LC (HILIC) or reversed-phase LC (RPLC), coupled to electrospray ionization (ESI) and mass spectrometry (MS), operated both in high and in low-resolution mode. Through the acquisition of single (MS) and tandem (MS/MS) mass spectra more than 200 PL and GL of U. pinnatifida extracts were characterized in terms of lipid class, fatty acyl (FA) chain composition (length and number of unsaturations), and regiochemistry, namely 16 SQDG, 6 SQMG, 12 DGDG, 5 DGMG, 29 PG, 8 LPG, 19 PI, 14 PA, 19 PE, 8 PE, 38 PC, and 27 LPC. The FA (C16:0) was the most abundant saturated acyl chain, whereas the monounsaturated C18:1 and the polyunsaturated C18:2 and C20:4 chains were the prevailing ones. Odd-numbered acyl chains, iJ., C15:0, C17:0, C19:0, and C19:1, were also recognized. While SQDG exhibited the longest and most unsaturated acyl chains, C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3, in the sn-1 position of glycerol, they were preferentially located in the sn-2 position in the case of PL. The developed analytical approach might pave the way to extend lipidomic investigations also for other edible marine algae, thus emphasizing their potential role as a source of bioactive lipids.     

Fingerprint analysis of Ligusticum chuanxiong using hydrophilic interaction chromatography and reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Fingerprint analysis is considered one of the most powerful approaches to quality control in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). In this study, a binary chromatographic fingerprint analysis was developed using hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) to gain more chemical information about polar compounds and weakly polar compounds. This method was used to construct a chromatographic fingerprint of Ligusticum chuanxiong. The two chromatographic methods demonstrated good precision, reproducibility, and stability, with relative standard deviations of <2% for retention time and 7% for peak area for both HILIC and RPLC separations. Data from the analysis of 14 samples by HILIC and RPLC were processed with similarity analysis, with correlation coefficients and congruence coefficients. This binary fingerprint analysis, using two chromatographic modes, is a powerful tool for characterizing the quality of samples, and can be used for the comprehensive quality control of TCMs.     

以亲水作用色谱为核心的液相色谱联用技术及其应用研究

亲水作用色谱(HILIC)是近年来色谱领域研究的热点之一。本文围绕复杂体系样品中亲水性组分的分离分析,综述了国际上近年 来发展的以HILIC为核心的多种液相色谱联用技术及其应用。简要介绍了HILIC的起源、定义、分离特点及其常用固定相;比较了HILIC和反相色谱(RPLC)的选择特性;针对不同层次的分离对象和分离要求,讨论了多种基于HILIC的液相色谱以及液相色谱-质谱联用技术的分离特点和适用范围。     

Off-line comprehensive 2-dimensional hydrophilic interaction × reversed phase liquid chromatography analysis of procyanidins

The development of an off-line comprehensive 2-dimensional liquid chromatography (2-D-LC) method for the analysis of procyanidins is reported. In the first dimension, oligomeric procyanidins were separated according to molecular weight by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC), while reversed phase LC was employed in the second dimension to separate oligomers based on hydrophobicity. Fluorescence, UV and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) were employed for identification purposes. The combination of these orthogonal separation methods is shown to represent a significant improvement compared to 1-dimensional methods for the analysis of complex high molecular weight procyanidin fractions, by simultaneously providing isomeric and molecular weight information. The low correlation (r² < 0.2100) between the two LC modes afforded a practical peak capacity in excess of 2300 for the optimal off-line method. The applicability of the method is demonstrated for the analysis of phenolic extracts of apple and cocoa.     

Capillary liquid chromatography using a hydrophilic/cation-exchange monolithic column with a dynamically modified cationic surfactant

A novel form of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) by the dynamically modified hydrophilic interaction monolithic column has been described in this paper. A porous poly(SPMA-co-PETA) monolith with strong cation-exchange (SCX) was prepared and the resulting monolith showed a typical hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) mechanism at higher organic solvent content (ACN% > 50%). The good selectivity for neutral, basic and acidic polar analytes was observed in the HILIC mode. In order to increase the hydrophobic interaction, the monolith with SCX was dynamically modified with a long-chain quaternary ammonium salt, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), which was added to the mobile phase. CTAB ions were adsorbed onto the surface of the SCX monolithic material, and the resulting hydrophobic layer was used as the stationary phase. Using the dynamically modified SCX monolithic column, neutral, basic and acidic hydrophobic analytes were well separated with the RPLC mode.     

Determination of tetrodotoxin and its analogs in the puffer fish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Takifugu oblongus</Emphasis> from Bangladesh by hydrophilic interaction chromatography and mass-spectrometric detection

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) and its analogs (TTXs), widely distributed among marine as well as terrestrial animals, induce dangerous intoxications. These highly potential toxins are also known as the causative agent of puffer fish poisoning. A newly developed highly sensitive method for determination of TTXs based on hydrophilic interaction chromatography and mass-spectrometric detection is presented. TTX, anhydrotetrodotoxin, 11-deoxytetrodotoxin and trideoxytetrodotoxin were determined in separated tissues of Bangladeshi marine puffers, Takifugu oblongus. TTX was predominant in skin, muscle and liver, whereas trideoxytetrodotoxin preponderated in the ovary. The toxicity of the various tissues was determined by a mouse bioassay.     

Rapid analysis of constituents of Radix Cyathulae using hydrophilic interaction‐reverse phase LC‐MS

A hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and reverse‐phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) coupled with electrospray TOF MS method was developed for the analysis and characterization of constituents in the radix of Cyathula officinalis Kuan. Separation parameters of HILIC such as buffer pH, mobile phase strength, and organic modifier were evaluated. Fructose, glucose, and sucrose were identified by HILIC‐ESI/TOF MS. Reverse‐phase liquid chromatography‐ESI/TOF MS were applied for quick and sensitive identification of major saponins in Cyathula officinalis. In‐source collision‐induced dissociation has been performed to elucidate the fragmentation pathways of oleanane‐, hederagenin‐, and gypsogmin‐type saponins. Twelve saponins were characterized in this plant for the first time, and four of them were presumed to be new compounds. In addition, one phytoecdysteroid (cyasterone) and one coumarin (6,7‐dimethoxycoumarin) were detected at the same time. The present method was capable of rapid characterizing and providing structure information of constituents from herbal drugs.     

Analysis of highly polar metabolites in human plasma by ultra-performance hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry

Highly polar metabolites are abundant in human plasma. Analysis of these compounds by standard reverse-phase chromatography is difficult. Highly polar metabolites were extracted by a two-step method. They were analyzed by ultra-performance hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) coupled to quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer detection technology. The middle and low polar fraction were also analyzed using a standard C18 column. Data were extracted by Markerlynx, and analyzed by multivariate statistical methods to discriminate human plasma samples by sex and age. The results not only showed good classification of samples by sex and age, but also revealed new potential biomarkers not revealed by standard RPLC/MS analysis. This study showed that HILIC is an effective technique to analyze highly polar metabolites for metabonomic studies.