Fungal toxins analysis

A major application of LC/ESI/MS is the characterization and detection of toxins, ranging from relatively small molecules, such as mycotoxins and some marine toxins, to the large proteinaceous toxins such as ricin and botulinum toxins. The marine toxin saxitoxin and the plant toxin ricin are specifically listed in Schedule 1 of the CWC as examples of toxins. A comprehensive review of LC/MS in toxin analysis would require a major chapter in its own right. Hancock and D Agostino 1711 reviewed approaches to the mass spectrometric identification of selected low molecular mass toxins. This chapter will describe examples of LC/MS in the analysis of marine, fungal, bacterial, and plant toxins, which are of possible relevance to the CWC. 

Interesting results were obtained with the use of GPC in toxin analysis. Some toxins (e.g., snake venom, fungal and bacterial toxins) are known to consist of two components of different and their effect is based on a joint action of these... 

Molyneux, R. J., and James, L. F. 1991a. Swainsonine, the Locoweed Toxin Analysis and Distribution. In Toxicology of Plant and Fungal Compounds-Handbook of Natural Toxins, Vol.6, Keeler, R. R, and Tu, A. T., eds. New York, Marcel Dekker. pp. 191-214. 

The use of photosynthetic enzymes isolated from plants has been implemented in a toxicity monitor (LuminoTox, Lab Bell Inc., Shawinigan, Canada). This system can detect a range of compounds such as hydrocarbons, herbicides, phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and aromatic hydrocarbons. These enzymes have been coupled to screen-printed electrode and have been demonstrated to be able to detect triazine and phenylurea herbicides [79]. Other enzyme inhibitions have been used to detect biotoxins from plant, animals, bacterial, algae, and fungal species (e.g., ricin, botulinum toxins, mycotoxins, cyanobacterial toxins). However, since the identity and specificity of the above toxic compound can be very important during the analysis, other sensor systems such as immunosensors may be preferred to give a better indication to toxin type and identity than the use of enzyme inhibition tests. 

Trichothecene mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of various fungal species. Structures of some trichothecene mycotoxins of interest to the US ARMY are given in Figure 1. Several methods have been reported for the analysis of these toxins (1-11, 15). Of these, mass spectrometry techniques are both sensitive and definitive when applied to toxicologic and environmental samples. With current technology, the most sensitive and qualitatively definitive analytical technique for the determination of these toxins is derivatization with an electron deficient moiety followed by analysis with negative ion chemical ionization gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (NICI-GC/HS). 

Therefore, it is necessary to develop strategies to distinguish and quantify fungal infection, and possibly toxins production, at early stages. One of the most promising techniques is the analysis of volatile compounds which are released by the coffee in the headspace gas surrounding the samples. For this reason, the ability of the EOS to early detect microbial contamination of Arabica green coffee was evaluated [36]. 

A microreview on recent advances in the total synthesis of chloro-sulfolipids has been published by Nilewski and Carreira a comprehensive section has been devoted to /-based configuration analysis of these compounds. A review on relationship between stereochemistry and biological activity of fungal phytotoxins has been written by Evidente et al The authors indicate that in many cases NMR spectroscopy, in particular /hh and /hc couplings, was a useful source of information on the relative and/or absolute configuration of these toxins produced by pathogenic fungi. 

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