The taxonomic coherence and phylogenetic relationships of 11 planktonic heterocystous cyanobacterial isolates were examined by investigating two areas of the rRNA operon, the 16S rRNA gene (rrnS) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) located between the 16S rRNA and 23S rRNA genes. The rrnS sequences were determined for five strains, including representatives of Anabaena flos-aquae, Aphaniz...

A novel biosurfactant, 2-acyloxyethylphosphonate, was isolated from waterblooms of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. Its structure was elucidated by chemical degradation and HRFABMS, GC/EI-MS and 1D- and 2D-NMR spectral analyses. The surfactant contained one mole of 2-hydroxyethylphosphonate and one mole of fatty acid, with hexadecanoic acid accounting for 84.1% of the total fatty acid content. The str...

Blue-green algae (Spirulina sp., Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) and Chlorella sp. are commercially distributed as organic algae dietary supplements. Cyanobacterial dietary products in particular have raised serious concerns, as they appeared to be contaminated with toxins e.g. microcystins (MCs) and consumers repeatedly reported adverse health effects following consumption of these products. The aim...

E3Live BrainON is a concentrated, certified organic, aqua-botanical known as AFA (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae). E3Live BrainON is a naturally occurring food that is innately “supercharged” with phenylethylamine (PEA), also known as "The Love Molecule." This same compound is found in chocolate and thought to produce chocolate’s pleasurable effects on mood. E3Live BrainON contains approximately 50 t...

Anabaenopeptins, bioactive cyclic hexapeptides, were isolated by preparative reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography from an extract of Baltic Sea cyanobacterial bloom material composed of Nodularia spumigena (50%), Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (40%) and Dolichospermum spp. (10%). Five new anabaenopeptins and nine previously known anabaenopeptins were isolated, and their putative stru...

The present research was designed to study the effects of an extract from the edible cyanophyta Aphanizomenon flos-aquae on human natural killer (NK) cells. We have previously shown, using a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled crossover design, that ingestion of 1.5 g of dried whole A. flos-aquae resulted in a transient reduction in peripheral blood NK cells in 21 healthy human volunteer...

Massive developments of potentially toxic cyanobacteria in Lake Stechlin, an oligo-mesotrophic lake in the Baltic Lake District of Germany raised concerns about toxic contamination of these important ecosystems. Field samples in the phase of mass developments of cyanobacteria were used for genetic and toxicological analyses. Microcystins and microcystin genes were detected in field samples of t...

The aim of our study was to evaluate the abundance of cyanobacteria and microcystins in four Sardinian reservoirs (Italy) characterised by different trophic status to define a reference picture for future changes. Increasing levels of eutrophication and the abundance of cyanobacteria are expected to occur due to climate change, especially in the southern Mediterranean. Consequently, an in-depth...

The physicochemical variables and cyanobacteria of Mid-Cross River, Nigeria, were studied in six stations between March 2005 and August 2006 to determine the relationship between water quality and cyanobacteria abundance. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed that biological oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen, pH, water velocity, width and depth were important environmental factors ...