An improved method for the purification of the trichothecene deoxynivalenol (Vomitoxin) from Fusarium graminearum culture

It was hypothesized that a simplified and efficient strategy could be developed for large-scale production and purification of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol from Fusarium graminearum rice cultures for toxicological studies. F graminearum R6576 was cultured on rice and extracted with methanol, and the extract was concentrated and subjected to silica gel low-pressure liquid chromatography (LPLC) under a hexane-acetone gradient system. Deoxynivalenol isolation was monitored by thin-layer chromatography, and fractions containing deoxynivalenol were pooled, concentrated, and applied to a second LPLC column under the same conditions. An enriched deoxynivalenol fraction was obtained, which yielded a crystalline material. Repeated crystallization yielded spectroscopically pure deoxynivalenol. The identity of this compound was confirmed by HPLC comparison to an authentic deoxynivalenol standard, FABMS analysis, and comparison of the H-1 and C-13 NMR spectra with published data. This simplified purification scheme eliminated many laborious steps and equipment previously required to obtain gram quantities of crystalline deoxynivalenol for biological testing in animal models.