[A cell-based detection of ciguatoxin using sodium fluorescence probe]

Area of Science:

• Marine Toxinology
• Cell-based Assays
• Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Context:

• Ciguatoxin (CTX) poses a significant threat to seafood safety, necessitating reliable detection methods.
• Current detection methods can be time-consuming and lack sensitivity for rapid screening.
• Mouse neuroblastoma N-2A cells provide a viable cellular model for toxin detection.

Purpose:

• To develop and validate a cell-based fluorescence assay for ciguatoxin detection.
• To establish a correlation between ciguatoxin concentration and fluorescence intensity.
• To compare the sensitivity and speed of the fluorescence assay against a cytotoxicity assay.

Summary:

• A novel cell-based fluorescence assay utilizing the sodium fluorescence probe CoroNaTM Green was established using N-2A cells.
• The assay demonstrated a detection limit of 10⁻³ g/ml for ciguatoxin (P-CTX-1), showing high correlation with a CCK-8 cytotoxicity assay.
• This method successfully detected ciguatoxin in 33 deep-sea coral fish samples, offering a faster (2-4 hours reduction) and more sensitive alternative.

Impact:

• Provides a rapid and sensitive tool for the preliminary screening of ciguatoxin in seafood.
• Enhances seafood safety protocols by enabling quicker identification of contaminated fish.
• Offers a valuable alternative to conventional cytotoxicity assays, improving efficiency in toxin detection.