title: Anatoxins and degradation products, determined using hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight and quadrupole ion-trap mass spectrometry: forensic investigations of cyanobacterial neurotoxin poisoning.
abstract: The potent neurotoxins from cyanobacteria, anatoxin-a (AN), its methyl analogue, homoanatoxin-a (HMAN), and their degradation products, have been studied using nano-electrospray hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QqTOF-MS). The anatoxin degradation products, which are readily produced in vivo by either reduction or epoxidation, were also examined in this study. The high mass accuracy QqTOF-MS data was used to confirm formula assignments for major product ions and quadrupole ion-trap (QIT)-MS was used to construct fragmentation pathways for anatoxins. Significant differences between these fragmentation pathways were observed. Comparisons between the spectra of compounds that differ in side-chain length (the AN and HMAN series) were used to identify ions that are characteristic of the homologues. The application to forensic samples in which the principal neurotoxin had undergone rapid biodegradation has been demonstrated and used to confirm anatoxin poisoning of dogs.
authors.affiliation: PROTEOBIO, Mass Spectrometry Centre for Proteomics and Biotoxin Research, Department of Chemistry, Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland. kjames@cit.ie
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lehane
authors.forename: Olav
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Skulberg
authors.forename: Ambrose
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Furey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000506:poisoning*; D046508:Culture Techniques; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000737:chemistry*; D000087522:Cyanobacteria Toxins; D004285:Dogs; D044707:Forensic Sciences / Q000379:methods*; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000506:poisoning*; D052998:Microcystins; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000506:poisoning*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014121:Toxoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000506:poisoning*; D014326:Tropanes
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D000087522:Cyanobacteria Toxins; D008387:Marine Toxins; D052998:Microcystins; D009498:Neurotoxins; D014121:Toxoids; D014326:Tropanes; C509783:anatoxin a