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Updated: Mar 26, 2026
Functional Evaluation of Biological Neurotoxins in Networked Cultures of Stem Cell-derived Central Nervous System Neurons
Published on: February 5, 2015
A review of neurotoxicity of microcystins
Yufei Hu1,2, Jun Chen1, Huihui Fan3
1Donghu Experimental Station of Lake Ecosystems, State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.7 Donghu South Road, Wuhan, 430072, China.
Abstract:
Cyanobacterial blooms-produced microcystins are secondary metabolites which can accumulate in the food chain and contaminate water, thus posing a potential threat to the health of aquatic animals and even humans. Microcystin toxicity affects not only the liver but also the other organs, i.e., the brain. The serious neurotoxicity effects caused by microcystins then lead to various symptoms. This review focuses on the neurotoxicity of microcystins. Microcystins can cross blood-brain barrier with the transport of Oatps/OATPs, causing neurostructural, functional, and behavioral changes. In this review, potential uptake mechanisms and neurotoxicity mechanisms are summarized, including neurotransmissions, neurochannels, signal transduction, oxidative stress, and cytoskeleton disruption. However, further researches are needed for detailed studies on signaling pathways and the downstream pathways of neurotoxicity of microcystins.
