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Toxins
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Marine Toxins Affecting Neuronal Function
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Marine Toxins Affecting Neuronal Function

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine and Freshwater Toxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2020) | Viewed by 17081

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Carmen Vale

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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Santiago of Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Interests: marine toxins; ion channels; neurotoxicity; pharmaceutical analysis; pharmacology, toxicology and pharmaceutics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Paz Otero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Vigo, Ourense Campus, 32004 Ourense, Spain
Interests: nutrition; food technology; advanced analytical techniques; hyphenated techniques; gas chromatography; liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; green extraction processes; compressed fluids; marine compounds; food and pharmaceutical applications; biotechnology; emergent toxins and contaminants; global food security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine neurotoxins, such as domoic acid and analogs, ciguatoxins, tetrodotoxins, saxitoxins, brevetoxins, palytoxins and azaspiracids, among others, are natural products produced by phytoplankton and some species of invertebrates, fish and bacteria. These compounds have many different mechanisms of action, but most of them can interact either with the main voltage-gated channels and thus modulate the flux of ions into various cell types. Other marine toxins, such as domoic acid or BMMA, may interact with the main neurotransmitter receptors affecting normal brain functioning and inducing health risks or even death. This Special Issue will cover all marine neurotoxins that might affect neurological function. Several aspects related to these toxins, including analytical methods for detection and quantification, rapid tests for screening, in vivo and in vitro toxicology, mode of action, occurrence, epidemiology, and effects on neuronal function and brain development, as well as their relevance for the development of age-related brain diseases are considered as the main areas of interest. Moreover, the chronic effects of low doses of neurotoxins on animal and human health are also of interest. In addition the role of compounds of marine origin to develop therapeutic tools against brain-related diseases is also a captivating aspect that fits on the scope of this Special Issue.

Dr. Carmen Vale
Dr. Paz Otero
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Developmental Neurotoxicity
  • voltage gated channels
  • neurotransmitter receptors
  • detection methods
  • amnesic toxins
  • Tetrodotoxin
  • Palytoxin
  • Saxitoxins
  • Conotoxins
  • BMMA
  • Brevetoxins
  • Ciguatoxins

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 5071 KiB  
Article
Chronic In Vivo Effects of Repeated Exposure to Low Oral Doses of Tetrodotoxin: Preliminary Evidence of Nephrotoxicity and Cardiotoxicity
by Andrea Boente-Juncal, Carmen Vale, Manuel Cifuentes, Paz Otero, Mercedes Camiña, Mercedes Rodriguez-Vieytes and Luis Miguel Botana
Toxins 2019, 11(2), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11020096 - 6 Feb 2019
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4122
Abstract
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is one of the most potent naturally occurring neurotoxins. Initially TTX was associated with human food intoxications in Japan, but nowadays, concerns about the human health risks posed by TTX have increased in Europe after the identification of the toxin in [...] Read more.
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is one of the most potent naturally occurring neurotoxins. Initially TTX was associated with human food intoxications in Japan, but nowadays, concerns about the human health risks posed by TTX have increased in Europe after the identification of the toxin in fish, marine gastropods, and bivalves captured in European waters. Even when TTX monitoring is not currently performed in Europe, an acute oral no observable effect level (NOAEL) of 75 μg/kg has been recently established but, to date, no studies evaluating the chronic oral toxicity of TTX have been released, even when EFSA has highlighted the need for them. Thus, in this work, the chronic effects of low oral TTX doses (below the acute lethal dose 50) were evaluated following internationally adopted guidelines. The results presented here demonstrate that low oral doses of TTX have deleterious effects on renal and cardiac tissues. Moreover, alterations in blood biochemistry parameters, urine production, and urinalysis data were already detected at the oral dose of 75 µg/kg after the 28 days exposure. Thus, the data presented here constitute an initial approach for the chronic evaluation of the in vivo toxicity of tetrodotoxin after its ingestion through contaminated fishery products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Toxins Affecting Neuronal Function)
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Review

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37 pages, 13225 KiB  
Review
Marine Toxins and Nociception: Potential Therapeutic Use in the Treatment of Visceral Pain Associated with Gastrointestinal Disorders
by Andreina Baj, Michela Bistoletti, Annalisa Bosi, Elisabetta Moro, Cristina Giaroni and Francesca Crema
Toxins 2019, 11(8), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11080449 - 31 Jul 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6924
Abstract
Visceral pain, of which the pathogenic basis is currently largely unknown, is a hallmark symptom of both functional disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease. Intrinsic sensory neurons in the enteric nervous system and afferent sensory neurons of the dorsal [...] Read more.
Visceral pain, of which the pathogenic basis is currently largely unknown, is a hallmark symptom of both functional disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease. Intrinsic sensory neurons in the enteric nervous system and afferent sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia, connecting with the central nervous system, represent the primary neuronal pathways transducing gut visceral pain. Current pharmacological therapies have several limitations, owing to their partial efficacy and the generation of severe adverse effects. Numerous cellular targets of visceral nociception have been recognized, including, among others, channels (i.e., voltage-gated sodium channels, VGSCs, voltage-gated calcium channels, VGCCs, Transient Receptor Potential, TRP, and Acid-sensing ion channels, ASICs) and neurotransmitter pathways (i.e., GABAergic pathways), which represent attractive targets for the discovery of novel drugs. Natural biologically active compounds, such as marine toxins, able to bind with high affinity and selectivity to different visceral pain molecular mediators, may represent a useful tool (1) to improve our knowledge of the physiological and pathological relevance of each nociceptive target, and (2) to discover therapeutically valuable molecules. In this review we report the most recent literature describing the effects of marine toxin on gastrointestinal visceral pain pathways and the possible clinical implications in the treatment of chronic pain associated with gut diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Toxins Affecting Neuronal Function)
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29 pages, 2493 KiB  
Review
Mutagenesis of α-Conotoxins for Enhancing Activity and Selectivity for Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors
by Matthew W. Turner, Leanna A. Marquart, Paul D. Phillips and Owen M. McDougal
Toxins 2019, 11(2), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11020113 - 13 Feb 2019
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5450
Abstract
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are found throughout the mammalian body and have been studied extensively because of their implication in a myriad of diseases. α-Conotoxins (α-CTxs) are peptide neurotoxins found in the venom of marine snails of genus Conus. α-CTxs are potent [...] Read more.
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are found throughout the mammalian body and have been studied extensively because of their implication in a myriad of diseases. α-Conotoxins (α-CTxs) are peptide neurotoxins found in the venom of marine snails of genus Conus. α-CTxs are potent and selective antagonists for a variety of nAChR isoforms. Over the past 40 years, α-CTxs have proven to be valuable molecular probes capable of differentiating between closely related nAChR subtypes and have contributed greatly to understanding the physiological role of nAChRs in the mammalian nervous system. Here, we review the amino acid composition and structure of several α-CTxs that selectively target nAChR isoforms and explore strategies and outcomes for introducing mutations in native α-CTxs to direct selectivity and enhance binding affinity for specific nAChRs. This review will focus on structure-activity relationship studies involving native α-CTxs that have been rationally mutated and molecular interactions that underlie binding between ligand and nAChR isoform. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Toxins Affecting Neuronal Function)
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