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Toxic potential of five freshwater Phormidium species (Cyanoprokaryota)

Teneva, I ; Dzhambazov, Balik LU ; Koleva, L ; Mladenov, R and Schirmer, K (2005) In Toxicon 45(6). p.711-725
Abstract
Among the Cyanoprokaryota (blue-green algae), the genus Phormidium has thus far rarely been studied with respect to toxin production and potentially resulting human and environmental health effects. We here show that five previously unexplored freshwater species of this genus (Ph. bijugatum, Ph. molle, Ph. papyraceum, Ph. uncinatum, Ph. autumnale) are indeed capable of producing bioactive compounds. Phormidium extracts caused weight loss as well as neuro/hepatotoxic symptoms in mice, and in the case of Ph. bijugatum even death. Very low levels of saxitoxins and microcystins, as confirmed by ELISA, were insufficient to explain this toxicity and the differing toxic potencies of the Phormidium species. Qualitative HPLC analyses confirmed... (More)
Among the Cyanoprokaryota (blue-green algae), the genus Phormidium has thus far rarely been studied with respect to toxin production and potentially resulting human and environmental health effects. We here show that five previously unexplored freshwater species of this genus (Ph. bijugatum, Ph. molle, Ph. papyraceum, Ph. uncinatum, Ph. autumnale) are indeed capable of producing bioactive compounds. Phormidium extracts caused weight loss as well as neuro/hepatotoxic symptoms in mice, and in the case of Ph. bijugatum even death. Very low levels of saxitoxins and microcystins, as confirmed by ELISA, were insufficient to explain this toxicity and the differing toxic potencies of the Phormidium species. Qualitative HPLC analyses confirmed different substance patterns and in the future could aid in the separation of fractions for more detailed substance characterisation. The results in vivo were confirmed in vitro using cells of human, mouse and fish. The fish cells responded least sensitive but proved useful in studying the temperature dependence of the toxicity by the Phormidium samples. Further, the human cells were more sensitive than the mouse cells thus suggesting that the former may be a more appropriate choice for studying the impact of Phormidium to man. Among the human cells, two cancer cell lines were more responsive to one of the samples than a normal cell line, thereby indicating a potential anti-tumour activity. Thus, the five freshwater Phormidium species should be considered in environmental risk assessment but as well, as a source of therapeutic agents. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
cell cultures, cytotoxicity, Phormidium, cyanoprokaryota, toxins, mouse bioassay, fish and mammalian
in
Toxicon
volume
45
issue
6
pages
711 - 725
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000228686500004
  • pmid:15804520
  • scopus:15944401393
ISSN
0041-0101
DOI
10.1016/j.toxicon.2005.01.018
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Department of Experimental Medical Science (013210000), Medical Inflammation Research (013212019)
id
5d7fa61d-027b-4990-bcee-9288df133dd4 (old id 243853)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:27:54
date last changed
2022-04-21 07:48:45
@article{5d7fa61d-027b-4990-bcee-9288df133dd4,
  abstract     = {{Among the Cyanoprokaryota (blue-green algae), the genus Phormidium has thus far rarely been studied with respect to toxin production and potentially resulting human and environmental health effects. We here show that five previously unexplored freshwater species of this genus (Ph. bijugatum, Ph. molle, Ph. papyraceum, Ph. uncinatum, Ph. autumnale) are indeed capable of producing bioactive compounds. Phormidium extracts caused weight loss as well as neuro/hepatotoxic symptoms in mice, and in the case of Ph. bijugatum even death. Very low levels of saxitoxins and microcystins, as confirmed by ELISA, were insufficient to explain this toxicity and the differing toxic potencies of the Phormidium species. Qualitative HPLC analyses confirmed different substance patterns and in the future could aid in the separation of fractions for more detailed substance characterisation. The results in vivo were confirmed in vitro using cells of human, mouse and fish. The fish cells responded least sensitive but proved useful in studying the temperature dependence of the toxicity by the Phormidium samples. Further, the human cells were more sensitive than the mouse cells thus suggesting that the former may be a more appropriate choice for studying the impact of Phormidium to man. Among the human cells, two cancer cell lines were more responsive to one of the samples than a normal cell line, thereby indicating a potential anti-tumour activity. Thus, the five freshwater Phormidium species should be considered in environmental risk assessment but as well, as a source of therapeutic agents.}},
  author       = {{Teneva, I and Dzhambazov, Balik and Koleva, L and Mladenov, R and Schirmer, K}},
  issn         = {{0041-0101}},
  keywords     = {{cell cultures; cytotoxicity; Phormidium; cyanoprokaryota; toxins; mouse bioassay; fish and mammalian}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{711--725}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Toxicon}},
  title        = {{Toxic potential of five freshwater Phormidium species (Cyanoprokaryota)}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2005.01.018}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.toxicon.2005.01.018}},
  volume       = {{45}},
  year         = {{2005}},
}