Our colleagues, dr. Anja Bubik and dr. Bojan Sedmak, have been studying the biological and biochemical effects of cyanobacterial compounds for several years in collaboration with the National Institute of Biology and the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Ljubljana. Their latest scientific publication “Cyanobacterial Cyclic Peptides Can Disrupt Cytoskeleton Organisation in Human Astrocytes-A Contribution to the Understanding of the Systemic Toxicity of Cyanotoxins“ focuses on the determination of the effects of these compounds on human normal and tumour astrocytes under in vitro conditions. It has been shown that even those compounds that were previously considered non-toxic have a negative effect on the intracellular organisation of astrocytes, which in turn interferes with intercellular communication and may lead to neurotoxicity.
Article is freely available here: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/16/9/374
| Cyanobacteria are among the oldest primary producers on Earth and are responsible for the development of an oxygenated atmosphere and life as we know it today. Their presence is a natural phenomenon in many aquatic ecosystems, but mass blooms can occur under certain conditions. This phenomenon, which can be completely natural, is often triggered by human activities, rising temperatures and increased nutrient concentrations in water bodies. Such mass cyanobacterial blooms are harmful to ecosystems and pose a risk to humans, as some species are able to produce toxic compounds that can be dangerous to our health if we come into contact with or ingest contaminated water. These compounds can damage the liver, kidneys and brain or cause acute poisoning. Understanding their mechanisms of action is therefore crucial to protect human health and the environment and for developing effective strategies to manage pollution of water resources. |
The article was very well received and, due to the multiple downloads, highlighted on the main page of Toxins journal: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins along with a graphical abstract.
Toxins is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal which provides an advanced forum for studies related to toxinology and all kinds of toxins (biotoxins) from animals, microbes and plants. Toxins is published monthly online by MDPI.