Three novel hydroxybenzoate saxitoxin analogues isolated from the dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum

In a recent survey of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins in Gymnodinium catenatum Graham extracts, using LC with postcolumn oxidation and fluorescence detection, three novel saxitoxin analogues were revealed in isolates from several locations, including Australian waters. We have named them as G. catenatum toxins, GC1 (1), GC2 (2), and GC3 (3). The compounds were isolated from a culture of the Australian strain by LC-MS-guided fractionation employing a C18-silica column and hydrophilic interaction chromatography. The unusual structures of these novel compounds were characterized by low- and high-resolution MS, MS/MS, and NMR spectroscopy. GC3 (3) was found to be the 4-hydroxybenzoate ester derivative of decarbamoylsaxitoxin, while GC1 (1) and GC2 (2) are the epimeric 11-hydroxysulfate derivatives of GC3 (3).