Cyanobacterial toxins have adverse effects on both terrestrial and aquatic plants. Microcystins are cyclic heptapeptides and an important group of cyanotoxins. When lake water contaminated with cyanobacterial blooms is used for spray irrigation, these toxins can come in contact with agricultural plants. During the exposure to these toxins, reactive oxygen species can form. These reactive oxygen species have a strong reactivity and are able to interact with other cellular compounds (lipids, protein, and DNA). Plants have antioxidative systems that will limit the negative effects caused by reactive oxygen species. These systems consist of enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase, and nonenzymatic substances, such as reduced glutathione or vitamins. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of cyanobacterial toxins (microcystins and anatoxin-a) and cyanobacterial cell-free crude extract on alfalfa (Medicago sativa) seedlings. Inhibition of germination and root growth was observed with toxin concentrations of 5.0 microg/L. Also, oxidative damage, such as lipid peroxidation, was detected after the exposure of alfalfa seedlings to the toxin. Reactive oxygen detoxifying enzymes were elevated, showing a marked response in alfalfa to oxidative stress caused by the exposure to cyanobacterial metabolites that might influence the growth and development of these plants negatively.

Plants used for agriculture may come into contact with cyanobacterial toxins via spray irrigation when surface water bodies containing cyanobacteria are used as the water source. As many of the bloom forming cyanobacteria are known to produce a variety of toxins, the possibility of uptake of toxins in these plants seems possible. With this study the uptake of two microcystins (MC-LR and MC-LF) as well as MC-LR within a cyanobacterial crude extract in several important agricultural plants is presented. Especially high uptake values in roots of alfalfa and wheat, using an ELISA kit for microcystin detection, is shown. In general, concentrations in the shoot occur at a much lower level than in the root. The amount of toxin is correlated with cellular damage in the seedlings using lipid peroxidation as an indicator. Good correlation was shown between toxin uptake and lipid peroxidation in the seedlings. The exposure of agriculturally important crop plants to cyanobacterial toxins via spray irrigation or watering is a potential concern for human health, as these toxins may accumulate in plant tissues and may therefore be carried through the food chain.

Effects of two cyanobacterial compounds, microcin SF608 and microcystin-LR, were investigated on different physiological parameters of two organisms, the water moss, Vesicularia dubyana, and the waterflea, Daphnia magna. Both compounds are produced by Microcystis species. Microcystin-LR is a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, and microcin SF608 inhibits serine proteases. Other effects of microcystin-LR are well documented in the literature, but adverse effects of microcin SF608 have not been investigated as yet. This study compared the effects of both compounds on detoxication enzymes, microsomal and soluble glutathione-S-transferase (m-, sGST); oxygen stress enzymes, glutathione peroxidase (GP-X), and peroxidase (POD); photosynthetic oxygen production and chlorophyll a:chlorophyll b ratio. mGST was inhibited by both compounds in both organisms, significantly by microcin SF608, possibly indirectly by inhibition of that serine protease transforming the mGST to its active form. The sGST of D. magna was inhibited by microcin SF608, but elevated by microcystin-LR, and elevated by both compounds in V. dubyana. The GP-X in D. magna was not altered by microcin SF608, but elevated parallel to the sGST, whereas the POD in V. dubyana was decreased by both. Photosynthetic oxygen production as well as the chlorophyll a/b ratio showed typical stress reactions, a decrease of oxygen production, and an increase of chlorophyll b, caused both by microcin SF608 and by microcystin-LR. Microcin SF608 was not likely to be detoxified via conjugation to glutathione. The effects of microcin SF608 and microcystin-LR demonstrate that the impact of cyanobacteria on other organisms may not only be directly related to the presently known toxins.

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