First report on adverse effects of cyanobacterial anabaenopeptins, aeruginosins, microginin and their mixtures with microcystin and cylindrospermopsin on aquatic plant physiology: An experimental approach

Barbara Pawlik-Skowrońska; Adam Bownik; Magdalena Pogorzelec; Justyna Kulczycka; Aleksandra Sumińska

doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107333

First report on adverse effects of cyanobacterial anabaenopeptins, aeruginosins, microginin and their mixtures with microcystin and cylindrospermopsin on aquatic plant physiology: An experimental approach

Toxicon. 2023 Dec:236:107333. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107333. Epub 2023 Nov 10.

Authors

Barbara Pawlik-Skowrońska¹, Adam Bownik², Magdalena Pogorzelec², Justyna Kulczycka², Aleksandra Sumińska²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Hydrobiology and Protection of Ecosystems, Faculty of Environmental Biology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Dobrzanskiego 37, 20-262, Lublin, Poland. Electronic address: barbara.pawlik@up.lublin.pl.
² Department of Hydrobiology and Protection of Ecosystems, Faculty of Environmental Biology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Dobrzanskiego 37, 20-262, Lublin, Poland.

PMID: 37951248
DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107333

Abstract

Cyanobacteria produce a variety of oligopeptides beyond microcystins and other metabolites. Their biological activities are not fully recognized especially to aquatic plants. Acute toxicity tests on Spirodela polyrhiza and Lemna minor exposed to a range of concentrations of cyanobacterial metabolites: anabaenopeptins (ANA-A, ANA-B), aeruginosins 98 (Aer-A, Aer-B), microginin-FR1 (MG-FR1), microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and cylindrospermopsin (Cyl) were carried out to compare their influence on plant physiology. Effects of their binary mixtures were determined by isobole approach and calculation of the combination index (CI) that indicates a type of metabolites' interaction. Cyclic oligopeptides microcystin-LR and anabaenopeptin-A revealed the strongest inhibition of S. polyrhiza growth while other metabolites appeared less toxic. Oxygen evolution was inhibited by Cyl, MC-LR, ANA-A, ANA-B, while both variants of aeruginosins and MG-FR1 did not affect this process. Photosynthetic pigments' contents decreased in S. polyrhiza exposed to ANA-A and Cyl, while MC-LR and Aer-A caused their slight increase. 96 h-EC50 values showed that the growth of L. minor was more sensitive to MC-LR, ANA-A, MG-FR1 and Cyl than the growth of S. polyrhiza. In S. polyrhiza synergistic effects of all the binary mixtures of peptides with MC-LR on oxygen evolution were observed, while antagonistic one on the growth of S. polyrhiza exposed to the mixtures with aeruginosins and ANA-A. The mixtures of MC-LR and MG-FR1 with cylindrospermopsin revealed synergistic effects on the growth but antagonistic one to the O₂ evolution. Quadruple mixtures (ANA-A + MC-LR + MG-FR1+Cyl) did not reveal any inhibitive effect on the plant growth and very slight on the oxygen evolution, irrespectively of their total concentrations. Various effects caused by ANA-A and ANA-B suggest the importance of molecule structures of metabolites for toxicity. Composition of the mixtures of cyanobacterial metabolites was essential for the observed effects.

Keywords: Cyanobacterial peptides; Lemnaceae; Plant physiology; Toxicity.

MeSH terms

Cyanobacteria* / metabolism
Microcystins* / metabolism
Microcystins* / toxicity
Oligopeptides
Oxygen / metabolism
Plant Physiological Phenomena

Substances

Microcystins
cylindrospermopsin
Oligopeptides
Oxygen