brevetoxin
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Brevetoxin (PbTx), or brevetoxins, are a suite of cyclic polyether compounds produced naturally by a species of dinoflagellate known as Karenia brevis. Brevetoxins are neurotoxins that bind to voltage-gated sodium channels in nerve cells, leading to disruption of normal neurological processes and causing the illness clinically described as neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP). Although brevetoxins are most well-studied in K. brevis, they are also found in other species of Karenia and at least one large fish kill has been traced to brevetoxins in Chattonella.
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13 sectionsContents
- Types
- Others
- Natural occurrence
- Synthesis in the lab
- Mechanisms of action
- Toxicology
- Impacts of exposure on health and economy
- Exposure
- Public health and economy
- Monitoring and regulation
- Nitrogen and phosphorus availability vs toxicity level
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- References
Brevetoxin (PbTx), or brevetoxins, are a suite of cyclic polyether compounds produced naturally by a species of dinoflagellate known as Karenia brevis. Brevetoxins are neurotoxins that bind to voltage-gated sodium channels in nerve cells, leading to disruption of normal neurological processes and causing the illness clinically described as neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP). Although brevetoxins are most well-studied in K. brevis, they are also found in other species of Karenia and at least one large fish kill has been traced to brevetoxins in Chattonella.
== Types == Brevetoxins are grouped into two main types: brevetoxin A and brevetoxin B. They are further classified by what chemical substituent (R group) is attached at certain positions within the core molecule.