Cyanobacterial Toxins

Abstract

This abstract introduces the chapter of cyanobacterial toxins, or cyanotoxins, as will be referred from now on. Cyanotoxins are potent chemical weapons directed to the zooplankton and the upper trophic levels of water ecosystems. With no exceptions, water eutrophication mechanisms in marine and freshwaters are the leading causes of cyanobacterial blooms. Furthermore, the impact of cyanotoxins on the ecosystem populations including allelopathy and the bioaccumulation of cyanotoxins and their transfer through the aquatic trophic web are discussed here. Chemically, cyanotoxins are peptides, amino acids, alkaloids, and lipopolysaccharides. Cyanotoxins have target organs the liver, brain, and neuronal complexes, the digestive system, and associated organs and skin. Therefore, this chapter also covers the biochemistry and detection of hepatotoxins, biochemistry and detection of neurotoxins, biochemistry and detection of skin irritant toxins, and further cyanotoxins.