Toxin profile of Alexandrium ostenfeldii (Dinophyceae) from the Northern Adriatic Sea revealed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

This paper reports on the first occurrence of fairly high numbers of Alexandrium ostenfeldii along the Emilia Romagna coasts (Italy). Detailed liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analyses of the toxin profile were performed on a strain of the organism collected in November 2003, isolated during the event and grown in culture. Selected ion monitoring (SIM) and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) experiments were carried out for detection of spirolides and paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins. They revealed that the Adriatic A. ostenfeldii produces mainly spirolide 13-desmethyl C at levels of 3.7 pg/cell but not PSP toxins. Interestingly, low levels of some spirolide isomers that have not been reported so far in other strains of the dinoflagellate were also detected. This represents the first report of spirolide-type toxins in the Adriatic Sea.