Analysis of anatoxin-a in biological samples using liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection after solid phase extraction and solid phase microextraction

Anatoxin-a is a naturally occurring, potent neurotoxin produced by some species of cyanobacteria in freshwaters. This toxin, which is a potential health hazard, especially to animals, has been determined in different biological matrices such as several cyanobacterial cultures and water samples and carps and mussels tissue using a sensitive High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence detection method. Sonication was the technique selected for the extraction of intracellular anatoxin-a and solid phase extraction using weak cation exchange was used for the concentration and purification of the samples. 4-Fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F) was used to convert anatoxin into a highly fluorescent derivative. Recovery experiments were performed for each type of matrix used in this work, and adequate values were obtained (71–87%). Limits of detection for anatoxin-a were estimated to be in the ng/L and ng/g level for water and cyanobacterial samples, respectively. The results obtained were also compared with those obtained after using solid phase microextraction, as an alternative for the extraction and purification of the samples. Advantages and disadvantages regarding to the efficiency for impurities removal, simplicity and rapidity and the potential for concentration enhancement of using both methodologies have been also discussed.