Articles

Title:	Characterziation of phycotoxins produced by cyanobacteria
Authors:	Mazur-Marzec Hanna
Abstract:	Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), photosynthetic prokaryotes, are essential elements of aquatic ecosystems. They produce a great variety of secondary metabolites; some of which have potentially useful pharmaceutical properties as anti-tumour, antibacterial and antiviral agents. Some species of cyanobacteria form blooms and become dominant over other forms of aquatic life. Blooms can deteriorate water quality in a variety of ways. Blooms formed by toxic species are the most harmful, as they can cause poisoning and death of organisms that come into contact with them. In this review, the structure and activity of cyanobacterial toxins are described. The toxins are classified into: hepatotoxins, neurotoxins, dermatotoxins and endotoxic lipopolysaccharides. Hepatotoxic cyclic pentapeptides, microcystins and nodularins, are the most common cyanobacterial toxins that have been identified in strains of Microcystis, Anabaena, Nodularia, Planktothrix (Oscillatoria), Nostoc, Hapalosiphon and Anabaenopsis. Cylindrospermopsin, another cyanobacterial hepatotoxin, is produced mainly by Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii. There are several neurotoxins produced by the cyanobacterial genera Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, Planktothrix and Cylindrospermopsis. Based on their activity, these neurotoxins were classified into anatoxin-a, anatoxin-a(S) and saxitoxins. BMAA is a novel cyanobacterial neurotoxin implicated in the ALS/PDC syndrome in the Chamorro people of Guam. The occurrence and harmful effects of cyanobacterial dermatotoxins and endotoxic lipopolysaccharides are less well recognised.
DOI:
Type of paper:	Review
Pages:	85 to 109
Cytation:	Mazur-Marzec H., 2006, Characterziation of phycotoxins produced by cyanobacteria, Ocean. Hydrob. Studies, 35(1): 85-109
Keywords:	Harmful Algal Blooms, cyanobacteria, toxins
Year:	2006
Category:
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