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Stability of cylindrospermopsin, the toxin from the cyanobacterium, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii : Effect of pH, temperature, and sunlight on decomposition
Author(s) -
Chiswell Robyn K.,
Shaw Glen R.,
Eaglesham Geoff,
Smith Maree J.,
Norris Ross L.,
Seawright Alan A.,
Moore Michael R.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
environmental toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1522-7278
pISSN - 1520-4081
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1522-7278(199902)14:1<155::aid-tox20>3.0.co;2-z
Subject(s) - cylindrospermopsin , cylindrospermopsis raciborskii , hepatotoxin , cyanobacteria , chemistry , environmental chemistry , biology , organic chemistry , toxicity , bacteria , genetics
Cylindrospermopsin is a powerful hepatotoxin produced by the cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii . It is considered a potential threat to livestock, wildlife, and humans, and is the suspected cause of an outbreak of hepatoenteritis on Palm Island, Queensland, Australia, and various stock poisoning incidents around Australia. In this study, the stability of cylindrospermopsin was investigated using different parameters, including visible and UV light, sunlight, temperature and pH. Cylindrospermopsin decomposes rapidly (half‐life of 1.5 h) when exposed to sunlight in an algal extract solution; however, no decomposition was recorded in pure cylindrospermopsin and Milli‐Q water solutions. Cylindrospermopsin decomposes slowly in temperatures ranging from 4 to 50°C at pH 7. After 10 weeks at 50°C, cylindrospermopsin had degraded to 57% of the original concentration. This degradation was accompanied by an increase in another compound which is believed to be structurally related to cylindrospermopsin. Boiling does not cause a significant degradation of cylindrospermopsin within 15 min. Initial investigations indicate that cylindrospermopsin is degraded slowly under artificial light ranging from 42, 29, and 9 μE m −1 s −1 and in darkness. Degradation of cylindrospermopsin was not affected by changes in pH. Experiments were performed in sterile conditions. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Environ Toxicol 14: 155–161, 1999