A validated method for quantifying hypoglycin A in whole blood by UHPLC-HRMS/MS.

Area of Science:

• Toxicology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Veterinary Medicine

Background:

• Hypoglycin A (HGA) is a toxin found in ackee fruit and maple seeds.
• HGA causes severe, often fatal, conditions like Jamaican vomiting sickness and equine atypical myopathy.
• Accurate quantification of HGA in blood is needed for toxicological diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sensitive method for quantifying HGA in whole blood.
• To provide toxicological evidence for ackee or maple poisoning.
• To establish a forensic toxicology tool for HGA detection.

Main Methods:

• Solid-phase extraction using HILIC cartridges.
• Dansyl derivatization for sample preparation.
• Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) for detection.

Main Results:

• The validated method has a detection limit of 0.35 μg/L in whole blood (range: 0.8-500 μg/L).
• HGA was detected in serum samples from horses with atypical myopathy (446.9 and 87.8 μg/L).
• HGA concentrations were measured in ackee fruit (7.2 mg/g) and maple seeds (0.74 mg/g).

Conclusions:

• A novel, sensitive UHPLC-HRMS/MS method for quantifying HGA in whole blood has been developed.
• This method is applicable for forensic toxicology and diagnosing HGA poisoning.
• The study confirms HGA presence in clinical samples and food sources, linking them to poisoning cases.