A Brief Review of the Structure, Cytotoxicity, Synthesis, and Biodegradation of Microcystins

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms pose an environmental health hazard due to the release of water-soluble cyanotoxins. One most prevalent cyanotoxins in nature is microcystins (MCs), a class cyclic heptapeptide hepatotoxins, and they are produced by several common cyanobacteria aquatic environments. Once released from cells, MCs subjected physical chemical biological transformations natural can also be taken up accumulated organisms their grazers/predators induce toxic effects organisms, including humans. This brief review aimed summarize our current understanding on structure, exposure pathway, cytotoxicity, biosynthesis, transformation microcystins.