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12/9 - Nuove sostanze neurotossiche prodotte da alghe la 946-N-metilammino-L-alanina.Milena Bruno, Davide Mizzoni2012, 39 p.
New neurotoxic substances produced by blue-green algae: the β-N-methylamino-L-alanine.
Milena Bruno, Davide Mizzoni
2012, vi, 80 p. (in Italian)
Cyanobacteria produce a wide array of secondary metabolites (cyanotoxins) that are associated with adverse health effects in animals and humans. Most cyanobacteria produce β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), a neurotoxic non-protein amino acid, originally discovered in cycad seeds and biomagnified along the food chain. BMAA has been suggested as a possible causative agent of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS/PDC) that has an extremely high rate of incidence among the Chamorro people of Guam (in the Western Pacific Ocean) compared with incidence rates of ALS elsewhere. BMAA has also been detected in the brains of Canadian and US patients with Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting not to be unique to Guam. Recent research has focused on possible chronic effects of BMAA at low doses over time. Mechanisms of BMAA acquisition include consuming contaminated fish, ingestion of lake water (or possibly infiltration of contaminated lake water into artesian wells) and recreation in areas with cyanobacteria blooms.
Key words: Cyanotoxins; β-N-methylamino-L-alanine; Detection; Toxic effects
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