Suspect and Target Screening of Natural Toxins in the Ter River Catchment Area in NE Spain and Prioritisation by Their Toxicity

Abstract

This study presents the application of a suspect screening approach to screen a wide range of natural toxins, including mycotoxins, bacterial toxins, and plant toxins, in surface waters. The method is based on a generic solid-phase extraction procedure, using three sorbent phases in two cartridges that are connected in series, hence covering a wide range of polarities, followed by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. The acquisition was performed in the full-scan and data-dependent modes while working under positive and negative ionisation conditions. This method was applied in order to assess the natural toxins in the Ter River water reservoirs, which are used to produce drinking water for Barcelona city (Spain). The study was carried out during a period of seven months, covering the expected prior, during, and post-peak blooming periods of the natural toxins. Fifty-three (53) compounds were tentatively identified, and nine of these were confirmed and quantified. Phytotoxins were identified as the most frequent group of natural toxins in the water, particularly the alkaloids group. Finally, the toxins identified to levels 2 and 1 were prioritised according to their bioaccumulation factor, biodegradability, frequency of detection, and toxicity. This screening and prioritisation approach resulted in different natural toxins that should be further assessed for their ecotoxicological effects and considered in future studies.

Heliotropium ramosissimum metabolic profiling, in silico and in vitro evaluation with potent selective cytotoxicity against colorectal carcinoma

“…using positive mode LC–ESI–MS/MS. No R t (min) [M + H] + Fragments Identified Compound Chemical Class Ref 1 0.42 149 79, 105, 131 Cinnamic acid Phenolic acids 59 2 9.28 191 115, 119, 147, 148 7-Methoxy-4-methylcoumarin Coumarins 59 3 10.36 291 273, 139, 123 (epi)-Catechin flavan -3-ol 60 4 10.94 300 138, 139, 157 Lycopsamine Alkaloids 61 – 63 5 11.22 314 138, 156, 269 Heliospathine Alkaloids 61 , 62 6 13.20 286 153, 127, 109 Trachelanthamine Alkaloids 64 7 15.70 185 126, 80 Methyl gallate Phenolics …”

Pollutants of Emerging Concern in Urban Wastewater Impacted Aquatic Environments and Management Recommendations

“…Nutrient enrichment of aquatic systems largely by the discharge of poorly treated urban wastewater [1,5], agricultural and industrial runoff has increased the proliferation of these harmful algae. The cyanotoxins that are normally produced after cell lysis following the collapse of the algal blooms have hepatotoxic, neurotoxic, carcinogenic and teratotoxic, cytotoxic and dermatotoxic effects [61][62][63]. The cyanobacteria genera that have been observed to be responsible for the formation of toxic blooms in aquatic systems include Microcystis, Cylindrospermopsis, Anabaena, Aphanizomenon and Planktothrix.…”

Recent Advances in the Detection of Food Toxins Using Mass Spectrometry

“…According to Fletcher and Netzel, these poisons can come from a variety of sources including fungi, bacteria, algae, plants, and animals . Mycotoxins produced by molds, marine biotoxins from toxic algal blooms, and plant-derived toxins like alkaloids and glycoalkaloids are all well-known examples of food toxins. , Mycotoxins are mainly produced by toxigenic fungal species belonging to the genera of Fusarium , Aspergillus , and Penicillium . These mycotoxins pose a challenge to food safety because they can contaminate food products even when good storage and processing protocols are employed for food safety.…”