Cyanobacterial toxins and endotoxins - their origin and their ecophysiological effects in aquatic organisms

PFLUGMACHER, S; AMÉ, MARÍA VALERIA; WIEGAND, C; STEINBERG,C

Wasser Und Boden

Blackwell Verlag

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2001 vol. 53/4 p. 15 - 15

0043-0951

font face="Arial">The enrichment of lakes and bodies of water with plant nutrientes often results in mass growths of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) which are known to produce a wide range of toxins. These can be divided according to their mode of actions into hepatotoxins, neurotoxins and endotoxins. All toxins have adverse effects of fish, birds and mammals and are being increasingly recognised as animal and human health hazards. First the uptake of microcystin-LR was examined using 14C-labelled toxin in the aquatic macrophytes and eggs of Danio rerio. Exposure to the toxin led to an elevation of microsomal and soluble glutathione S-transferase activities. Furthermore the detoxication pathway of microcystin-LR was investigated and the resulting metabolites identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. We found a degradation of the initially formed glutathione conjugate to a cysteine conjugate.