Profiles and levels of fatty acid esters of okadaic acid group toxins and pectenotoxins during toxin depuration, Part I: Brown crab (Cancer pagurus)

• In 2002, two outbreaks of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) occurred in Norway, which was later confirmed to be caused by the consumption of brown crab (Cancer pagurus) contaminated predominantly by esters of okadaic acid (OA) after feeding on toxic blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). In addition to OA-group toxins, pectenotoxins (PTXs) are commonly detected in the toxin-producing algae (i.e. Dinophysis). In this paper, an experiment was set up to study the fatty acid ester profiles and depuration rates of OA-group toxins and PTXs from C. pagurus after feeding on M. edulis containing these toxin groups. CA, DTX1, DTX2 and PTX2 SA were all detected primarily in the form of fatty acid esters in the crab hepatopancreas (HP). Crabs preferentially assimilated toxins of the OA group after feeding on the mussels for 1 week. Detailed analysis of the fatty acid ester profile in crabs and mussels showed that the ester profiles in the crabs differed slightly from profiles of the fatty acid esters in M. edulis, but neither ester profile nor ester to free toxin ratio appeared to change in the crabs during the first 2 weeks of deputation. Calculations of deputation rates of the free forms of toxins resulted in similar reduction rates for OA and DTX2, whereas the depuration rate of DTX1, PTX2 and PTX2 SA was considerably faster. From the industrial perspective, the PTX-compounds are of minor importance compared to the OA group toxins in crabs, considering (1) the uncertainty regarding the oral toxicity of the PTXs, (2) the preferential ingestion of OA-group toxins compared to PTXs and (3) the faster depuration of PTXs. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Farmakologi och toxikologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Pharmacology and Toxicology (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

okadaic acid

dsp

pectenotoxins

fatty acid ester

brown crab

blue mussel

cancer pagurus

mytilus edulis

depuration

shellfish poisoning toxins

mussel mytilus-galloprovincialis

blue mussels

seco acid

liquid-chromatography

portuguese bivalves

carcinus-maenas

dsp toxins

norway

dinophysistoxin-2

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)