Microcystin Toxins at Potentially Hazardous Levels in Algal Dietary Supplements Revealed by a Combination of Bioassay, Immunoassay, and Mass Spectrometric Methods

Microcystins (MCs) are hepatotoxic heptapeptides produced by cyanobacteria and are potent inhibitors of protein phosphatases in eukaryotic cells. Algae for dietary supplements are harvested from outdoor environments and can be contaminated with MCs. Monitoring of MCs in these products is necessary but is complicated by their structural diversity (>250 congeners). We used a combination of protein phosphatase inhibition assay (PPIA), ELISA, LC−MS/MS, and nontargeted LC−high-resolution MS (LC−HRMS) with thiol derivatization to characterize the total MCs in 18 algal dietary supplements. LC−MS/MS revealed that some products contained >40 times the maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) of 1 μg/g MCs, but ELISA and PPIA showed up to 50−60 times the MAC. LC−HRMS identified all congeners targeted by LC−MS/MS plus MC-(H4)YR contributing up to 18% of total MCs, along with numerous minor MCs. Recommended dosages of the products greater than the MAC would result in 2.6−75 times the tolerable daily intake, presenting a risk to consumers. This study confirms the need for monitoring these products and presents strategies to fully describe the total MC pool in environmental samples and algal products.