DETERMINATION OF CAULERPENYNE, A TOXIN FROM THE GREEN-ALGA CAULERPA-TAXIFOLIA (CAULERPACEAE)

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the determination of caulerpenyne, a neurotoxic sesquiterpenoid isolated from the green alga Caulerpa taxifolia. UV and refractometric detection were compared in order to determine the amounts of this toxin in the alga and the alimentary chain. UV detection at 252 nm was more sensitive and could be applied to the determination of very low concentrations of caulerpenyne (the detection limit per gram of dried seaweed was 27 mu g/g). The chromatographic conditions adopted were a 5-mu m silica column with isocratic binary elution with ethyl acetate-hexane (23:77, v/v) at a flow-rate of 1 ml/min.