scholarly journals Tetrodotoxins (TTXs) and Vibrio alginolyticus in Mussels from Central Adriatic Sea (Italy): Are They Closely Related?

Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 304
Author(s):  
Simone Bacchiocchi ◽  
Debora Campacci ◽  
Melania Siracusa ◽  
Alessandra Dubbini ◽  
Francesca Leoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Mytilus Galloprovincialis ◽  
Polyketide Synthase ◽  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Tandem Mass ◽  
Hydrophilic Interaction ◽  
Marche Region ◽  
Peptide Synthetase ◽  
Scientific Opinion ◽  
Vibrio Spp

Tetrodotoxins (TTXs), potent neurotoxins, have become an increasing concern in Europe in recent decades, especially because of their presence in mollusks. The European Food Safety Authority published a Scientific Opinion setting a recommended threshold for TTX in mollusks of 44 µg equivalent kg−1 and calling all member states to contribute to an effort to gather data in order to produce a more exhaustive risk assessment. The objective of this work was to assess TTX levels in wild and farmed mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) harvested in 2018–2019 along the coastal area of the Marche region in the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy). The presence of Vibrio spp. carrying the non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and polyketide synthase (PKS) genes, which are suspected to be involved in TTX biosynthesis, was also investigated. Out of 158 mussel samples analyzed by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS), 11 (7%) contained the toxins at detectable levels (8–26 µg kg−1) and 3 (2%) contained levels above the EFSA safety threshold (61–76 µg kg−1). Contaminated mussels were all harvested from natural beds in spring or summer. Of the 2019 samples, 70% of them contained V. alginolyticus strains with the NRPS and/or PKS genes. None of the strains containing NRPS and/or PKS genes showed detectable levels of TTXs. TTXs in mussels are not yet a threat in the Marche region nor in Europe, but further investigations are surely needed.

scholarly journals Determination of Antiviral Drugs and Their Metabolites Using Micro-Solid Phase Extraction and UHPLC-MS/MS in Reversed-Phase and Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography Modes

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 2123
Author(s):  
Luboš Fical ◽  
Maria Khalikova ◽  
Hana Kočová Vlčková ◽  
Ivona Lhotská ◽  
Zuzana Hadysová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Tandem Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Solid Phase Extraction ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Gradient Elution ◽  
Reversed Phase ◽  
Tandem Mass ◽  
Phase Extraction ◽  
Hydrophilic Interaction

Two new ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) methods for analyzing 21 selected antivirals and their metabolites were optimized, including sample preparation step, LC separation conditions, and tandem mass spectrometry detection. Micro-solid phase extraction in pipette tips was used to extract antivirals from the biological material of Hanks balanced salt medium of pH 7.4 and 6.5. These media were used in experiments to evaluate the membrane transport of antiviral drugs. Challenging diversity of physicochemical properties was overcome using combined sorbent composed of C18 and ion exchange moiety, which finally allowed to cover the whole range of tested antivirals. For separation, reversed-phase (RP) chromatography and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC), were optimized using extensive screening of stationary and mobile phase combinations. Optimized RP-UHPLC separation was carried out using BEH Shield RP18 stationary phase and gradient elution with 25 mmol/L formic acid in acetonitrile and in water. HILIC separation was accomplished with a Cortecs HILIC column and gradient elution with 25 mmol/L ammonium formate pH 3 and acetonitrile. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) conditions were optimized in both chromatographic modes, but obtained results revealed only a little difference in parameters of capillary voltage and cone voltage. While RP-UHPLC-MS/MS exhibited superior separation selectivity, HILIC-UHPLC-MS/MS has shown substantially higher sensitivity of two orders of magnitude for many compounds. Method validation results indicated that HILIC mode was more suitable for multianalyte methods. Despite better separation selectivity achieved in RP-UHPLC-MS/MS, the matrix effects were noticed while using both chromatographic modes leading to signal enhancement in RP and signal suppression in HILIC.

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