title: Losses of the cyanobacterial toxin microcystin-LR from aqueous solution by adsorption during laboratory manipulations.
abstract: The effect of plastic and methanol on the loss of microcystin-LR from solution was analysed by HPLC with photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA). With plastic disposable pipette tips, the loss from an aqueous microcystin-LR (MC-LR) solution was 4.2% per tip operation. Using the same pipette tip, four operations were required to completely saturate a single tip with toxin. MC-LR attached to plastic pipette tips could subsequently be eluted by methanol and detected by HPLC-PDA. At methanol concentrations below 25% (v/v), recovered concentrations of MC-LR decreased significantly. Differences in MC-LR concentration were also noted by performing 50% dilution with Milli-Q water or methanol. The results are discussed in relation to the hydrophobicity of MC-LR, analytical procedures and the avoidance of toxin losses from solution during laboratory manipulations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN, Dundee, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hyenstrand
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Metcalf
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Beattie
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Codd
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D008387:Marine Toxins; D052998:Microcystins; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012996:Solutions
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D008387:Marine Toxins; D052998:Microcystins; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D012996:Solutions; C057862:cyanoginosin LR