DTX-3 toxins and fatty acids in Norwegian blue mussels (Mytilus edulis)

Okadaic group toxins, such as okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxin 1 and 2 (DTX-1 and DTX-2), have been know to cause diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) from shellfish since 1978 [1]. The existence of OA group toxins... [ view full abstract ]

Okadaic group toxins, such as okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxin 1 and 2 (DTX-1 and DTX-2), have been know to cause diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) from shellfish since 1978 [1]. The existence of OA group toxins containing OA, DTX-1 and DTX-2 combined with a fatty acid ester at the 7th positioned OH-group was proved a little later on [2]. These fatty acid ester toxins as a group are called dinophysistoxin 3 (DTX-3). A method of analysis of DTX-3 was created, by removing the fatty acid from the toxin by hydrolysis. Therefore, there are little information about the length and saturation of the fatty acid esters in these toxin. This is the background for a comparison of results from analysis of the different DTX-3 toxins found in toxic blue mussels and results from analysis of the fatty acids in the same samples [3]. It has been shown that the mussels themselves makes DTX-3 from OA, DTX-1 or DTX-2 [4], probably as a defense mechanism against the toxins [5].

The percentage of toxins with different fatty acids are compared to the percentage of the same fatty acids in the shellfish, and show that medium short, highly saturated fatty acids are more often used to produce DTX-3 toxins, compared to longer, and more unsaturated fatty acids.