Marine Phycotoxins

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 32833

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Campus de Lugo, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Interests: marine toxin; toxicity study; identification; phycotoxins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Campus de Lugo, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Interests: marine toxin; toxicity study; identification; phycotoxins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Phytoplanktonic algae are capable of producing compounds that are harmful to humans and animals, with additional potential environmental impacts. These molecules, which comprise a wide diversity of chemical structures, are generally known as phycotoxins.

The threat that marine phycotoxins pose to human health has prompted an enormous research effort to understand their toxicity and the ecological factors that influence their production, as well as to minimize their associated risks by efficient detection. Legal regulations for some of these toxins have been established based on scientific results. However, the protection of humans is jeopardized by the appearance of new compounds and the increased occurrence of toxic blooms. In spite of this effort, there are still many pieces of the puzzle missing for the effective control of toxic outbreaks.

This Special Issue is aimed at presenting updated knowledge on the effects of marine phycotoxins, innovative approaches relevant to the mitigation and prevention of phycotoxin-related poisoning, and identification of possible new threats or drug products for potential commercial development.

The scope is multidisciplinary with appropriate topics including basic research, ecological studies, genetics, in vivo animal experiments, risk assessments, epidemiology, detection technology and environmental impacts.

Prof. Dr. M. Carmen Louzao
Prof. Dr. Natalia Vilariño
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • phytoplanktonic algae
  • toxin
  • poisoning
  • ecological studies
  • genetics
  • in vivo animal experiments
  • risk assessments
  • epidemiology
  • detection technology
  • environmental impacts

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

19 pages, 776 KiB  
Article
Identification of New CTX Analogues in Fish from the Madeira and Selvagens Archipelagos by Neuro-2a CBA and LC-HRMS
by Àngels Tudó, Maria Rambla-Alegre, Cintia Flores, Núria Sagristà, Paloma Aguayo, Laia Reverté, Mònica Campàs, Neide Gouveia, Carolina Santos, Karl B. Andree, Antonio Marques, Josep Caixach and Jorge Diogène
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(4), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20040236 - 29 Mar 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3239
Abstract
Ciguatera Poisoning (CP) is caused by consumption of fish or invertebrates contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTXs). Presently CP is a public concern in some temperate regions, such as Macaronesia (North-Eastern Atlantic Ocean). Toxicity analysis was performed to characterize the fish species that can accumulate [...] Read more.
Ciguatera Poisoning (CP) is caused by consumption of fish or invertebrates contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTXs). Presently CP is a public concern in some temperate regions, such as Macaronesia (North-Eastern Atlantic Ocean). Toxicity analysis was performed to characterize the fish species that can accumulate CTXs and improve understanding of the ciguatera risk in this area. For that, seventeen fish specimens comprising nine species were captured from coastal waters inMadeira and Selvagens Archipelagos. Toxicity was analysed by screening CTX-like toxicity with the neuroblastoma cell-based assay (neuro-2a CBA). Afterwards, the four most toxic samples were analysed with liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Thirteen fish specimens presented CTX-like toxicity in their liver, but only four of these in their muscle. The liver of one specimen of Muraena augusti presented the highest CTX-like toxicity (0.270 ± 0.121 µg of CTX1B equiv·kg−1). Moreover, CTX analogues were detected with LC-HRMS, for M. augusti and Gymnothorax unicolor. The presence of three CTX analogues was identified: C-CTX1, which had been previously described in the area; dihydro-CTX2, which is reported in the area for the first time; a putative new CTX m/z 1127.6023 ([M+NH4]+) named as putative C-CTX-1109, and gambieric acid A. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Phycotoxins)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 4373 KiB  
Article
First Identification of 12β-Deoxygonyautoxin 5 (12α-Gonyautoxinol 5) in the Cyanobacterium Dolichospermum circinale (TA04) and 12β-Deoxysaxitoxin (12α-Saxitoxinol) in D. circinale (TA04) and the Dinoflagellate Alexandrium pacificum (Group IV) (120518KureAC)
by Michiru Akamatsu, Ryosuke Hirozumi, Yuko Cho, Yuta Kudo, Keiichi Konoki, Yasukatsu Oshima and Mari Yotsu-Yamashita
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(3), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20030166 - 25 Feb 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2940
Abstract
Saxitoxin and its analogues, paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), are potent and specific voltage-gated sodium channel blockers. These toxins are produced by some species of freshwater cyanobacteria and marine dinoflagellates. We previously identified several biosynthetic intermediates of PSTs, as well as new analogues, from [...] Read more.
Saxitoxin and its analogues, paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), are potent and specific voltage-gated sodium channel blockers. These toxins are produced by some species of freshwater cyanobacteria and marine dinoflagellates. We previously identified several biosynthetic intermediates of PSTs, as well as new analogues, from such organisms and proposed the biosynthetic and metabolic pathways of PSTs. In this study, 12β-deoxygonyautoxin 5 (12α-gonyautoxinol 5 = gonyautoxin 5-12(R)-ol) was identified in the freshwater cyanobacterium, Dolichospermum circinale (TA04), and 12β-deoxysaxitoxin (12α-saxitoxinol = saxitoxin-12(R)-ol) was identified in the same cyanobacterium and in the marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium pacificum (Group IV) (120518KureAC) for the first time from natural sources. The authentic standards of these compounds and 12α-deoxygonyautoxin 5 (12β-gonyautoxinol 5 = gonyautoxin 5-12(S)-ol) were prepared by chemical derivatization from the major PSTs, C1/C2, produced in D. circinale (TA04). These standards were used to identify the deoxy analogues by comparing the retention times and MS/MS spectra using high-resolution LC-MS/MS. Biosynthetic or metabolic pathways for these analogues have also been proposed based on their structures. The identification of these compounds supports the α-oriented stereoselective oxidation at C12 in the biosynthetic pathway towards PSTs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Phycotoxins)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

56 pages, 18737 KiB  
Review
Current Trends and New Challenges in Marine Phycotoxins
by Maria Carmen Louzao, Natalia Vilariño, Carmen Vale, Celia Costas, Alejandro Cao, Sandra Raposo-Garcia, Mercedes R. Vieytes and Luis M. Botana
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(3), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20030198 - 8 Mar 2022
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 5838
Abstract
Marine phycotoxins are a multiplicity of bioactive compounds which are produced by microalgae and bioaccumulate in the marine food web. Phycotoxins affect the ecosystem, pose a threat to human health, and have important economic effects on aquaculture and tourism worldwide. However, human health [...] Read more.
Marine phycotoxins are a multiplicity of bioactive compounds which are produced by microalgae and bioaccumulate in the marine food web. Phycotoxins affect the ecosystem, pose a threat to human health, and have important economic effects on aquaculture and tourism worldwide. However, human health and food safety have been the primary concerns when considering the impacts of phycotoxins. Phycotoxins toxicity information, often used to set regulatory limits for these toxins in shellfish, lacks traceability of toxicity values highlighting the need for predefined toxicological criteria. Toxicity data together with adequate detection methods for monitoring procedures are crucial to protect human health. However, despite technological advances, there are still methodological uncertainties and high demand for universal phycotoxin detectors. This review focuses on these topics, including uncertainties of climate change, providing an overview of the current information as well as future perspectives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Phycotoxins)
Show Figures

Figure 1

48 pages, 1665 KiB  
Review
An Updated Review of Tetrodotoxin and Its Peculiarities
by Panagiota Katikou, Cengiz Gokbulut, Ali Rıza Kosker, Mònica Campàs and Fatih Ozogul
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(1), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20010047 - 3 Jan 2022
Cited by 66 | Viewed by 15439
Abstract
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a crystalline, weakly basic, colorless organic substance and is one of the most potent marine toxins known. Although TTX was first isolated from pufferfish, it has been found in numerous other marine organisms and a few terrestrial species. Moreover, tetrodotoxication [...] Read more.
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a crystalline, weakly basic, colorless organic substance and is one of the most potent marine toxins known. Although TTX was first isolated from pufferfish, it has been found in numerous other marine organisms and a few terrestrial species. Moreover, tetrodotoxication is still an important health problem today, as TTX has no known antidote. TTX poisonings were most commonly reported from Japan, Thailand, and China, but today the risk of TTX poisoning is spreading around the world. Recent studies have shown that TTX-containing fish are being found in other regions of the Pacific and in the Indian Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Sea. This review aims to summarize pertinent information available to date on the structure, origin, distribution, mechanism of action of TTX and analytical methods used for the detection of TTX, as well as on TTX-containing organisms, symptoms of TTX poisoning, and incidence worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Phycotoxins)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

37 pages, 2690 KiB  
Review
Chemodiversity of Brevetoxins and Other Potentially Toxic Metabolites Produced by Karenia spp. and Their Metabolic Products in Marine Organisms
by Vincent Hort, Eric Abadie, Nathalie Arnich, Marie-Yasmine Dechraoui Bottein and Zouher Amzil
Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(12), 656; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19120656 - 24 Nov 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4296
Abstract
In recent decades, more than 130 potentially toxic metabolites originating from dinoflagellate species belonging to the genus Karenia or metabolized by marine organisms have been described. These metabolites include the well-known and large group of brevetoxins (BTXs), responsible for foodborne neurotoxic shellfish poisoning [...] Read more.
In recent decades, more than 130 potentially toxic metabolites originating from dinoflagellate species belonging to the genus Karenia or metabolized by marine organisms have been described. These metabolites include the well-known and large group of brevetoxins (BTXs), responsible for foodborne neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP) and airborne respiratory symptoms in humans. Karenia spp. also produce brevenal, brevisamide and metabolites belonging to the hemi-brevetoxin, brevisin, tamulamide, gymnocin, gymnodimine, brevisulcenal and brevisulcatic acid groups. In this review, we summarize the available knowledge in the literature since 1977 on these various identified metabolites, whether they are produced directly by the producer organisms or biotransformed in marine organisms. Their structures and physicochemical properties are presented and discussed. Among future avenues of research, we highlight the need for more toxin occurrence data with analytical techniques, which can specifically determine the analogs present in samples. New metabolites have yet to be fully described, especially the groups of metabolites discovered in the last two decades (e.g tamulamides). Lastly, this work clarifies the different nomenclatures used in the literature and should help to harmonize practices in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Phycotoxins)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop