Hydrolysis of hydroxybenzoate saxitoxin analogues originating from Gymnodinium catenatum

The paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin producer Gymnodinium catenatum produces several hydrophobic analogues of saxitoxin (STX). These are poorly studied due to their recent discovery and lack of standards. It was previously observed these hydrophobic analogues could be partially hydrolysed, loosing its benzoate moiety during alkaline oxidation to obtain fluorescent products measurable by HPLC analysis. The hydrolysis reaction was further explored to study two practical aspects. One was the indirect measurement of these compounds through its hydrolysis products: the decarbamoyl analogues of STX. The second one was to simplify standard production of decarbamoyl analogues, which are commonly found in contaminated shellfish products.