Structure of the toxin isolated from carp (Cyprinus carpio) bile

Attempts were made to elucidate the structure of the toxin isolated from the bile of carp Cyprinus carpio, which is possibly responsible for carp poisoning. By fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry, along with 1H- and 13C-NMR, a molecular formula of C27H48O8S containing a sulfate ester group was deduced. Those and other analytical data allowed us to conclude the structure of carp toxin to be 5 alpha-cholestane-3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha, 26, 27-pentol 26-sulfate, which agreed essentially with that of 5 alpha-cyprinol, an alcohol specific to carp bile, in which the sulfate ester at the C-26 position is lacking.