Toxicity assessment of fumonisins using the brine shrimp (Artemia salina) bioassay

The Fusarium mycotoxins fumonisin B-1 (FB1) (1) and B-2 (FB2) (2), their hydrolysed analogues HFB1 (3) and HFB2 (4) and the recently discovered fumonisin derivatives N-palmitoyl-HFB1 (5) and N-carboxymethyl-FB1 (6) were compared for their toxicity in a short term bioassay using brine shrimp (Artemia salina). The brine shrimp were hatched in artificial sea water and exposed to the fumonisins in microwell plates with a mortality endpoint after 48 hours. LC50 values were calculated after Probit transformation of the resulting data. Of the substances tested, fumonisin B-1 emerged to be the most toxic whereas its N-carboxymethyl analogue was 100-fold less effective. The hydrolysed fumonisins showed a four- to sixfold reduced toxicity compared to FB1. N-Palmitoyl-HFB1 had a higher LC50 value than its precursor HFB1. The brine shrimp assay proved to be a convenient and rapid system for toxicity assessment of this group of mycotoxins. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.