Preparation of (18)O-labelled azaspiracids for accurate quantitation using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

Azaspiracids (AZAs) are a group of polyether marine algal toxins known to accumulate in shellfish, posing a risk to human health and the seafood industry. Analysis of AZAs is typically performed using LC–MS, which can suffer from matrix effects that significantly impact the accuracy of measurement results. While the use of isotopic internal standards is an effective approach to correct for these effects, isotopically labelled standards for AZAs are not currently available. In this study, (18)O-labelled AZA1, AZA2, and AZA3 were prepared by reaction with H(2)(18)O under acidic conditions, and the reaction kinetics and sites of incorporation were studied using LC–HRMS/MS aided by mathematical analysis of their isotope patterns. Analysis of the isotopic incorporation in AZA1 and AZA3 indicated the presence of four exchangeable oxygen atoms. Excessive isomerization occurred during preparation of (18)O-labelled AZA2, suggesting a role for the 8-methyl group in the thermodynamic stability of AZAs. Neutralized mixtures of (18)O-labelled AZA1 and AZA3 were found to maintain their isotopic and isomeric integrities when stored at −20 °C and were used to develop an isotope-dilution LC–MS method which was applied to reference materials of shellfish matrices containing AZAs, demonstrating high accuracy and excellent reproducibility. Preparation of isotopically labelled compounds using the isotopic exchange method, combined with the kinetic analysis, offers a feasible way to obtain isotopically labelled internal standards for a wide variety of biomolecules to support reliable quantitation. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00216-023-04868-4.