title: Isolation and structure elucidation of ovatoxin-a, the major toxin produced by Ostreopsis ovata.
abstract: Since 2005, the benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis cf. ovata has bloomed across the Mediterranean basin, provoking serious toxic outbreaks. LC/MS studies have identified a number of palytoxin-like compounds, termed ovatoxins, along with trace amounts of putative palytoxin as the causative agents of the O. cf. ovata -related human sufferings. So far, any risk assessment for ovatoxins as well as establishment of their allowance levels in seafood has been prevented by the lack of pure toxins. The present paper reports on the isolation, NMR-based structural determination, and preliminary mouse lethality evaluation of ovatoxin-a, the major toxic compound contained in O. cf. ovata extracts. Availability of pure ovatoxin-a will open the double prospect of fully evaluating its toxicity and preparing reference standards to be employed in LC/MS quantitative analyses. Elucidation of ovatoxin-a's complex structure will ultimately herald the understanding of the molecular bases of ovatoxins bioactivity.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica delle Sostanze Naturali, University of Napoli Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ciminiello
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dell'Aversano
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dello Iacovo
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fattorusso
authors.forename: Martino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forino
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grauso
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tartaglione
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guerrini
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pezzolesi
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pistocchi
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vanucci
mesh_terms: D000178:Acrylamides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D003064:Cnidarian Venoms; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D051379:Mice; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute; D000095702:Polyether Toxins
chemical_list: D000178:Acrylamides; D003064:Cnidarian Venoms; D008387:Marine Toxins; C010272:palytoxin; D000095702:Polyether Toxins