title: Previous studies underestimate BMAA concentrations in cycad flour.
abstract: The traditional diet of the Chamorro people of Guam has high concentrations of the neurotoxin BMAA, beta-methyl-amino-L-alanine, in cycad tortillas and from animals that feed on cycad seeds. We measured BMAA concentration in washed cycad flour and compared different extraction methods used by previous researchers in order to determine how much BMAA may have been unaccounted for in prior research. Samples were analyzed with AQC precolumn derivatization using HPLC-FD detection and verified with UPLC-UV, UPLC-MS, and triple quadrupole LC/MS/MS. Although previous workers had studied only the free amino acid component of BMAA in washed cycad flour, we detected significant levels of protein-associated BMAA in washed cycad flour. These data support a link between ALS/PDC and exposure to BMAA.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Ethnomedicine, Jackson Hole, Wyoming 83001-3464, USA.
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Sandra Anne
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Banack
mesh_terms: D000599:Amino Acids, Diamino / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000633:toxicity; D000600:Amino Acids, Dicarboxylic / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000633:toxicity; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D032462:Cycadopsida / Q000737:chemistry*; D016206:Databases, Bibliographic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005433:Flour / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000633:toxicity; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000599:Amino Acids, Diamino; D000600:Amino Acids, Dicarboxylic; D009498:Neurotoxins; C064612:alpha-N-carboxy-beta-N-methylaminoalanine