Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether water samples from water ecosystems of Serbia, unknown so far with regard to cyanotoxin levels, are the source of toxic compounds originating from the biological activity of cyanobacteria.
Materials and methods: The growth inhibition activity was evaluated using in vitro toxicity assay in Neuro-2a (mouse neuroblastoma) and MRC-5 (human fetal lung) cell lines, after 48 h of exposure time. Cell growth was evaluated by the colorimetric sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay.
Results: Our experiments revealed that some of the investigated water samples are toxigenic and alter cell growth of Neuro-2 and MRC-5 cell lines in vitro.
Conclusion: Neuro-2a and MRC-5 cell lines responded to the presence of secondary metabolites of cyanobacteria. Significant cytotoxic effects were detected in the samples from lakes (Ludos and Palic), reservoirs (Zobnatica) and rivers (Krivaja).