Abstract

Okadaic acid group (OA-group) is a set of lipophilic toxins which are characterised by being produced by species associated with the genera Dinophysis and Prorocentrum. OA-group has been regularly detected in endemic shellfish species from the southern zone of Chile only through the mouse bioassay. The purpose of this work was to determine the variability of OA-group toxins in endemic aquatic organisms (bivalves, crabs, gastropods and fish) and to establish the relationship with the concentration of fatty acids (FAs) detected in the evaluated species. The toxicity of OA-group and the FA profiles were determined using LC-MS/MS and gas chromatography with flame-ionisation detection, respectively. In the study area, the dinoflagellate Dinophysis acuta was detected in densities ≈2000 cells ml−1 with a toxicity ≈18.3 pg OA equiv cel−1. The analysis identified OA and dinophysistoxin-1 in shellfish in a range of ≈90 to ≈225 μg OA eq kg−1, where no toxins in fish were detected. A positive relationship between the FA level and the concentration of OA-group toxins in the digestive glands of bivalves and gastropods was established, noted for high levels of saturated FAs (C14:0 and C16:0). The toxic variability of OA-group toxins determined in the different species allowed us to establish that the consumption of these vectors, regulated by non-analytical methods, can be harmful when consumed by humans, thus suggesting that the sanitary regulations for the control of OA-group in Chile should be updated.