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Toxins
Special Issues
Toxic Cyano Blooms around the World and Related Molecules
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Toxic Cyano Blooms around the World and Related Molecules

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine and Freshwater Toxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 2133

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Germana Esposito

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Blue Chemistry Lab, Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: natural products; molecular networking; cyanobacteria; structural determination; LC-MS; NMR
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Valeria Costantino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via Montesano 149, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: isolation and stereostructural elucidation of new leads compounds in anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer drug discovery; exploration of the QQ and the QS system in bacteria symbiotic with sponges with the goal to create novel leads in antibacterial drug discovery; cyanobacteria as source of novel lead compounds and toxins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cyanobacteria are a unique class of photosynthetic microorganisms that can generally survive in almost all phototrophic aquatic environments, including recreational water bodies, fisheries and reservoirs. Over the past two decades, worldwide attention has been given to the ecological effects of cyanobacteria and their production of secondary metabolites. Indeed, they represent a not yet fully explored source of new lead compounds for drug discovery.

However, cyanobacteria growing in freshwater and marine recreational areas can have a strongly negative impact on human health. Some species can form extensive blooms, and there is evidence that these have been increasing in recent decades due to nutrient enrichment, particularly phosphorus. Under these conditions, cyanobacteria can produce toxic secondary metabolites (cyanotoxins) with different health effects, ranging from mild skin irritations to serious diseases, thus causing serious problems for municipalities and local authorities due to the negative impact on the population and related activities.

In this Special Issue, we wish to collect papers reporting toxic cyano blooms around the world, producing novel classes of cyanotoxins and their eventual toxicity.

Dr. Germana Esposito
Prof. Dr. Valeria Costantino
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 double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins 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 2700 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

  • cyanobacteria
  • cyanotoxin
  • cyanobloom
  • microorganism
  • toxicity
  • cyanometabolite

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 6666 KiB  
Article
Lake Avernus Has Turned Red: Bioindicator Monitoring Unveils the Secrets of “Gates of Hades”
by Germana Esposito, Evgenia Glukhov, William H. Gerwick, Gabriele Medio, Roberta Teta, Massimiliano Lega and Valeria Costantino
Toxins 2023, 15(12), 698; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxins15120698 - 13 Dec 2023
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Abstract
Lake Avernus is a volcanic lake located in southern Italy. Since ancient times, it has inspired numerous myths and legends due to the occurrence of singular phenomena, such as coloring events. Only recently has an explanation been found for them, i.e., the recurring [...] Read more.
Lake Avernus is a volcanic lake located in southern Italy. Since ancient times, it has inspired numerous myths and legends due to the occurrence of singular phenomena, such as coloring events. Only recently has an explanation been found for them, i.e., the recurring color change over time is due to the alternation of cyanobacterial blooms that are a consequence of natural nutrient inputs as well as pollution resulting from human activities. This current report specifically describes the red coloring event that occurred on Lake Avernus in March 2022, the springtime season in this region of Italy. Our innovative multidisciplinary approach, the ‘Fast Detection Strategy’ (FDS), was devised to monitor cyanobacterial blooms and their toxins. It integrates remote sensing data from satellites and drones, on-site sampling, and analytical/bioinformatics analyses into a cohesive information flow. Thanks to FDS, we determined that the red color was attributable to a bloom of Planktothrix rubescens, a toxin-producing cyanobacterium. Here, we report the detection and identification of 14 anabenopeptins from this P. rubescens strain, seven of which are known and seven are newly reported herein. Moreover, we explored the mechanisms and causes behind this cyclic phenomenon, confirming cyanobacteria’s role as reliable indicators of environmental changes. This investigation further validates FDS’s effectiveness in detecting and characterizing cyanobacterial blooms and their associated toxins, expanding its potential applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxic Cyano Blooms around the World and Related Molecules)
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Review

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33 pages, 1887 KiB  
Review
Analytical Methods for Anatoxin-a Determination: A Review
by Cristina Plata-Calzado, Ana I. Prieto, Ana M. Cameán and Angeles Jos
Toxins 2024, 16(4), 198; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxins16040198 - 19 Apr 2024
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Abstract
Anatoxin-a (ATX-a) is a potent neurotoxin produced by several species of cyanobacteria whose exposure can have direct consequences, including neurological disorders and death. The increasing prevalence of harmful cyanobacterial blooms makes the detection and reliable assessment of ATX-a levels essential to prevent the [...] Read more.
Anatoxin-a (ATX-a) is a potent neurotoxin produced by several species of cyanobacteria whose exposure can have direct consequences, including neurological disorders and death. The increasing prevalence of harmful cyanobacterial blooms makes the detection and reliable assessment of ATX-a levels essential to prevent the risk associated with public health. Therefore, the aim of this review is to compile the analytical methods developed to date for the detection and quantification of ATX-a levels alone and in mixtures with other cyanotoxins and their suitability. A classification of the analytical methods available is fundamental to make an appropriate choice according to the type of sample, the equipment available, and the required sensitivity and specificity for each specific purpose. The most widely used detection technique for the quantification of this toxin is liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The analytical methods reviewed herein focus mainly on water and cyanobacterial samples, so the need for validated analytical methods in more complex matrices (vegetables and fish) for the determination of ATX-a to assess dietary exposure to this toxin is evidenced. There is currently a trend towards the validation of multitoxin methods as opposed to single-ATX-a determination methods, which corresponds to the real situation of cyanotoxins’ confluence in nature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxic Cyano Blooms around the World and Related Molecules)
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