BMAA neurotoxic effects
Degenerative locomotor diseases had been described in animals grazing on cycad species, fueling interest in a possible link between the plant and the etiology of ALS/PDC . Subsequent laboratory investigations discovered the presence of BMAA. BMAA induced severe neurotoxicity in rhesus macaques, including:[3]
- limb muscle atrophy
- nonreactive degeneration of anterior horn cells
- degeneration and partial loss of pyramidal neurons of the motor cortex
- behavioral dysfunction
- conduction deficits in the central motor pathway
- neuropathological changes of motor cortex Betz cells
There are reports that low BMAA concentrations can selectively kill cultured motor neurons from mouse spinal cords. In the motor neurons, BMAA activates AMPA-kainate glutamate receptors and boosted production of oxygen radicals.[2]
[edit]Worldwide concerns
The presence of BMAA in cyanobacteria, among the most populous organisms in the world, has raised concerns that humans worldwide may be exposed to levels of BMAA that could be potentially harmful. Cyanobacteria from soil and water samples collected around the world produce BMAA, giving rise to speculative biomagnification in food chains.[2] Scientists have also found that newborn rats treated with BMAA showed early neurotoxicity and impaired learning and memory as adults [6]
References
- ^ Cox, P.A., S.A. Banack, S.J. Murch, U. Rasmussen, G. Tien, R.R. Bidigare, J.S. Metcalf, L.F. Morrison, G.A. Codd, B. Bergman (2005). "Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce β-N-methylamino-L-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 102: 5074–5078. doi:10.1073/pnas.0501526102. PMID 15809446.
- ^ a b c d Miller, G. (2006). "Guam's Deadly Stalker: On the Loose Worldwide?". Science 313: 428–431. doi:10.1126/science.313.5786.428. PMID 16873621.
- ^ a b Spencer, P.S., P.B. Nunn, J. Hugon, A.C. Ludolph, S.M. Ross, D.N. Roy, and R.C. Robertson (1987). "Guam amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism-dementia linked to a plant excitant neurotoxin". Science31 (237): 517–522. doi:10.1126/science.3603037. PMID 3603037.
- ^ http://discovermagazine.com/2011/may/22-seafood-toxins-causing-als-alzheimers-parkinsons/article_view?b_start:int=2&-C=
- ^ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120223182516.htm=
- ^ Karlsson O, Roman E, Berg AL, Brittebo EB. (2011). "Early hippocampal cell death, and late learning and memory deficits in rats exposed to the environmental toxin BMAA (β-N-methylamino-L-alanine) during the neonatal period". Behav Brain Res 219: 310-320. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2011.01.056. PMID 21315110.
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