Isolation and characterization of microcystins from laboratory cultures and environmental samples of Microcystis aeruginosa and from an associated animal toxicosis

Six microcystins were identified in a laboratory culture of the cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7813 using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The toxins were purified and further characterized by amino acid analysis and tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS). The presence of the previously reported microcystin-LR and microcystin-LY was confirmed. Two further microcystins were characterized as microcystin-LW and microcystin-LF. Another two toxins were partially characterized and are believed to be an analog of microcystin-LR (molecular weight 1008) and microcystin-LM (molecular weight 969). Natural bloom material of M. aeruginosa collected from 2 reservoirs was found to have similar microcystin profiles using HPLC-DAD and LC-MS, indicating the widespread occurrence of these microcystin variants. In addition, the presence of 5 of the microcystins was confirmed in the rumen contents of a lamb by LC-MS and LC-MS-MS, providing the first report of microcystins identified in an animal suspected of being poisoned by cyanobacterial hepatotoxins.