A study of ten toxins associated with paralytic shellfish poison using prechromatographic oxidation and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

Ten paralytic shellfish toxins [saxitoxin, neosaxitoxin, B-1, B-2, gonyautoxin 1, 2, and 3 (i.e., GTX-1, GTX-2, and GTX-3), C-1, C-2, and C-3] were oxidized at room temperature under mildly basic conditions with hydrogen peroxide or periodic acid. The products were then analyzed by liquid chromatography (LC). The N-1-hydroxylated toxins (neosaxitoxin, B-2, GTX-1, and C-3) formed fluorescent products after periodate oxidation at ca pH 8.7, but did not form fluorescent derivatives with peroxide oxidation. The non-N-1-hydroxylated toxins (saxitoxin, B-1, GTX-2, GTX-3, C-1, and C-2) formed highly fluorescent derivatives with both peroxide and periodate oxidations. Individual toxins produced mainly single fluorescent peaks by reverse-phase LC. However, all GTX toxins eluted with the same retention time. Also, C-1 and C-2 eluted together, as did neosaxitoxin and B-2. The non-N-1-hydroxylated toxins could be detected in quantities as low as 20-50 pg/injection, while the N-1-hydroxy analogues could be detected at levels as low as 100-500 pg/injection. UV absorption and fluorescence emission spectra were similar for the oxidation products of all toxins examined (max. 333 +/- 2 nm absorption, 389 +/- 4 nm fluorescence emission).

Liquid chromatographic determination of domoic acid in mussels, using AOAC paralytic shellfish poison extraction procedure: collaborative study

A liquid chromatographic method using the AOAC paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) extraction procedure for domoic acid, a marine toxin, in mussel tissue was collaboratively studied in 10 laboratories. Domoic acid is extracted by boiling the homogenized tissue for 5 min with 0.1N HCl. The mixture is cooled, diluted to a known volume, and then centrifuged. An aliquot of the supernate is diluted, filtered, and analyzed by reverse-phase liquid chromatography with a mobile phase containing acetonitrile and water adjusted to about pH 2.5. Each collaborator received a prepared standard solution, a practice sample, and 7 randomly numbered unknown samples (1 blank mussel tissue, 1 spiked at 14.1 micrograms domoic acid/g, 1 spiked at 18.9 micrograms/g, and duplicate samples with naturally incurred domoic acid at 75 micrograms/g and at 186 micrograms/g). Five of the laboratories had little or no experience in domoic acid analysis. Ten of 11 laboratories completed the study and submitted results. Two individual values out of a total of 70 were found to be outliers. Mean recovery of domoic acid from the spiked extracts was 75%. Relative standard deviations between laboratories (RSDR) ranged from 7.5 to 19.4%; within-laboratory RSDs (RSDr) for the 2 blind duplicate pairs were 1.9 and 4.8%. The detection limit was about 1 microgram domoic acid/g. The method has been adopted official first action by AOAC.

Comparison of three liquid chromatographic methods with FDA optimized Monier-Williams method for determination of total sulfite in foods

Three liquid chromatographic (LC) methods employing amperometric detection were compared with the collaboratively studied FDA optimized Monier-Williams distillation method for the determination of total sulfite in 5 food types. The foods included lemon juice, white wine, instant mashed potatoes, golden raisins, and onion flakes. Two of the LC methods (one employing headspace sampling and the other direct injection) used ion-exchange chromatography with a basic mobile phase (pH about 10.8) and a glassy carbon electrode; the third (employing direct injection) used ion-exclusion chromatography with an acidic mobile phase (pH about 2) and a platinum electrode. All 4 methods produced similar results for the wine, lemon juice, and raisins. Results were different for instant mashed potatoes and onion flakes. The headspace-LC method and direct ion-exclusion LC method, both of which employed an alkaline sample extraction, yielded significantly higher values for sulfite in instant potatoes than did the other 2 methods. A large interfering peak with both direct LC methods prevented quantitation of sulfite in the onion flakes. All methods can detect sulfite as low as about 1 microgram/g in 4 of 5 food types examined.

Thrombospondin and fibronectin are synthesized by neutrophils in human inflammatory joint disease and in a rabbit model of in vivo neutrophil activation

Using 35S-methionine metabolic labeling, we studied de novo synthesis and secretion of proteins by activated polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) from two different sources. PMN isolated from inflammatory synovial fluid of patients with inflammatory joint disease were first analyzed. The protein synthetic activity of these cells was compared with that of nonactivated PMN isolated from the peripheral blood of the same patient. Similar studies were conducted on glycogen-activated PMN from the peritoneal cavity of rabbits and results were compared with nonactivated peripheral blood PMN isolated from the same rabbit. Cells were labeled for a period of 16 to 20 h and supernatants were analyzed by one and two dimensional gel electrophoresis. In both models, the activated PMN showed a marked increase in the synthesis and secretion of thrombospondin as identified by immunoisolation with antibodies to this protein. The production of thrombospondin by activated cells paralleled a similar increase in production of another extracellular matrix and cell adhesion protein, fibronectin. The proportion of thrombospondin synthesis and secretion relative to total protein was approximately 1% in both human- and rabbit-activated PMN. For fibronectin, this proportion was in the 0.02% range. Although fibronectin mRNA accumulation in activated PMN could be demonstrated by Northern blots, we were not able to obtain similar results for thrombospondin mRNA. This could be caused by the rapid turnover of this transcript because it is known to contain an adenine uridine-rich 3' untranslated sequence. We conclude that activated PMN are capable of producing thrombospondin. Furthermore, glycogen-activated rabbit peritoneal fluid PMN represent a valuable and relevant source of activated PMN for studying the protein synthetic events of these cells in the context of inflammation.

Thrombospondin and fibronectin are synthesized by neutrophils in human inflammatory joint disease and in a rabbit model of in vivo neutrophil activation

Using 35S-methionine metabolic labeling, we studied de novo synthesis and secretion of proteins by activated polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) from two different sources. PMN isolated from inflammatory synovial fluid of patients with inflammatory joint disease were first analyzed. The protein synthetic activity of these cells was compared with that of nonactivated PMN isolated from the peripheral blood of the same patient. Similar studies were conducted on glycogen-activated PMN from the peritoneal cavity of rabbits and results were compared with nonactivated peripheral blood PMN isolated from the same rabbit. Cells were labeled for a period of 16 to 20 h and supernatants were analyzed by one and two dimensional gel electrophoresis. In both models, the activated PMN showed a marked increase in the synthesis and secretion of thrombospondin as identified by immunoisolation with antibodies to this protein. The production of thrombospondin by activated cells paralleled a similar increase in production of another extracellular matrix and cell adhesion protein, fibronectin. The proportion of thrombospondin synthesis and secretion relative to total protein was approximately 1% in both human- and rabbit-activated PMN. For fibronectin, this proportion was in the 0.02% range. Although fibronectin mRNA accumulation in activated PMN could be demonstrated by Northern blots, we were not able to obtain similar results for thrombospondin mRNA. This could be caused by the rapid turnover of this transcript because it is known to contain an adenine uridine-rich 3' untranslated sequence. We conclude that activated PMN are capable of producing thrombospondin. Furthermore, glycogen-activated rabbit peritoneal fluid PMN represent a valuable and relevant source of activated PMN for studying the protein synthetic events of these cells in the context of inflammation.

Liquid chromatographic determination of domoic acid in shellfish products using the paralytic shellfish poison extraction procedure of the association of official analytical chemists

Domoic acid, the recently discovered toxic substance found in contaminated mussels from an area in eastern Prince Edward Island (Canada) was extracted from mussel tissue using the procedure of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists for paralytic shellfish poisons. This involved a 5-min boiling of the sample with 0.1 M hydrochloric acid then cooling and centrifuging. An aliquot of the supernatant was diluted ten to one-hundred times with water, filtered and analysed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-water (12:88) at pH 2.5 and an absorption wavelength of 242 nm. The detection limit was about 0.5 mg/kg domoic acid in seafood samples. The technique was successfully applied to a variety of commercially purchased shellfish and shellfish products.

The role of fibronectin in the cryoprecipitation of monoclonal cryoglobulins

We have recently reported that fibronectin is a component of mixed cryoglobulins and is responsible in large part for cryoprecipitate formation. We have now extended our studies to serum cryoprecipitates formed in the presence of monoclonal cryoglobulins in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases in order to investigate for a possibly similar influence of fibronectin on cryoprecipitation. Results have shown that these cryoprecipitates contain fibronectin in proportions varying between 10% and 14% of their total protein content. Furthermore, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that next to the cryoglobulins, fibronectin constitutes the second major component of the cryoprecipitates. Depletion of the sera in fibronectin prior to exposure to 4 degrees C, markedly reduced cryoprecipitation of the cryoglobulins, whereas reconstitution in fibronectin restored it. These studies support and extend our previous findings showing the important influence exerted by fibronectin on the process of immunoglobulin cryoprecipitation.