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Review
. 2008 Jun 11;6(2):349-71.
doi: 10.3390/md20080016.

Neurotoxins from marine dinoflagellates: a brief review

Da-Zhi Wang  1
Affiliations
Review

Neurotoxins from marine dinoflagellates: a brief review

Da-Zhi Wang. Mar Drugs. .

Abstract

Dinoflagellates are not only important marine primary producers and grazers, but also the major causative agents of harmful algal blooms. It has been reported that many dinoflagellate species can produce various natural toxins. These toxins can be extremely toxic and many of them are effective at far lower dosages than conventional chemical agents. Consumption of seafood contaminated by algal toxins results in various seafood poisoning syndromes: paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP), amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP), ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) and azaspiracid shellfish poisoning (ASP). Most of these poisonings are caused by neurotoxins which present themselves with highly specific effects on the nervous system of animals, including humans, by interfering with nerve impulse transmission. Neurotoxins are a varied group of compounds, both chemically and pharmacologically. They vary in both chemical structure and mechanism of action, and produce very distinct biological effects, which provides a potential application of these toxins in pharmacology and toxicology. This review summarizes the origin, structure and clinical symptoms of PSP, NSP, CFP, AZP, yessotoxin and palytoxin produced by marine dinoflagellates, as well as their molecular mechanisms of action on voltage-gated ion channels.

Keywords: Dinoflagellates; azaspiracid poisoning; ciguatera fish poisoning; molecular action mechanism; neurotoxic shellfish poisoning; neurotoxins; palytoxin; paralytic shellfish poisoning; voltage-gated ion channels; yessotoxin.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The voltage-gated channels: The different members of the ion channel family structurally related to the voltage-gated ion channels are illustrated as transmembrane folding diagrams in which cylinders represent probable transmembrane alpha helices. Green, S5–S6 pore forming segments; red, S4 voltage sensor; and gray, S1–S3 tansemembrane segments [13].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Structure and species of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins from marine dinoflagellates [4].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Structure and species of neurotoxic shellfish poisoning toxins from marine dinoflagellates [4].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Structure and species of ciguatoxins from the dinoflagellate G. toxicus [62].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Structure of maitotoxin from the dinoflagellate G. toxicus [120].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Structure and species of azaspiracid poisoning toxins from marine dinoflagellates [121].
Figure 7
Figure 7
Structure and species of yessotoxins from marine dinoflagellates [122].
Figure 8
Figure 8
Structure of palytoxin from marine dinoflagellates [123].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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