Marine Toxins and Cellular Mechanisms
Summary
Marine biotoxins encompass a wide range of natural compounds produced by planktonic algae, cyanobacteria and other marine organisms. Key toxin groups include polyether phosphatase inhibitors (such as okadaic acid), neurotoxins that target ion channels (saxitoxins, tetrodotoxin) and excitatory amino acid analogues (domoic acid). At the cellular level these compounds disrupt fundamental processes: protein phosphatase inhibition leads to dysregulated phosphorylation states of cytoskeletal and signalling proteins; blockade of voltage-gated sodium channels impairs action potential propagation; glutamate receptor overstimulation triggers calcium-mediated neurotoxicity. Many toxins modulate transcription factors such as NF-κB and Nrf2, altering gene expression programmes involved in inflammatory responses and antioxidant defences. The net effect spans compromised epithelial barrier integrity, altered drug and xenobiotic metabolism in hepatocytes, oxidative stress, cytoskeletal remodelling and immune dysfunction. Understanding these mechanisms is essential both for public health—given risks of shellfish poisoning and neuroenteric illness—and for harnessing toxin scaffolds in biomedical research, for example as probes of signalling pathways or potential therapeutic leads.
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Marine Toxins and Cellular Mechanisms publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in marine toxins and cellular mechanisms across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Cytochrome P450 enzymes: A superfamily of haem-containing monooxygenases responsible for the oxidative metabolism of drugs and xenobiotics.
Nrf2 pathway: A transcriptional programme activated in response to oxidative stress that upregulates antioxidant and detoxification genes.
NF-κB: A transcription factor complex central to inflammatory and immune responses, activated by diverse cellular stressors.
JAK/STAT signalling: A cascade in which Janus kinases phosphorylate Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription, modulating gene expression.
Protein phosphatases: Enzymes that remove phosphate groups from serine/threonine residues, crucial for reversing kinase-driven signalling events.
References
- Effects of marine biotoxins on drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes and their regulation in mammalian cells. Archives of Toxicology (2024).
- Okadaic Acid Activates JAK/STAT Signaling to Affect Xenobiotic Metabolism in HepaRG Cells. Cells (2023).
- Possible Role of Docosahexaenoic Acid in Response to Diarrhetic Shellfish Toxins in the Mussel Perna viridis. Marine Drugs (2023).
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