Marine Pharmacognosy Action Of Marine Biotoxins At The Cellular Level

Marine Pharmacognosy: Action of Marine Biotoxins at the Cellular Level focuses on the study and utilization of marine drugs. This book discusses the methods of isolation and characterization of bioactive agents, bioassays, microcalorimetry, voltage-clamp techniques, toxin-induced alterations, measurement of muscle contraction, and kinetics of toxin-induced hemolysis. Organized into nine chapters, this book starts with an overview of the use and usefulness of marine bioactive agents as research tools. This text then examines the pharmacological effects of maculotoxin, which are similar to those of tetrodoxin and saritoxin. Other chapters consider the role of choline in general cellular processes. This book discusses as well the rate of hemolysis as a function of prymnesin concentration. The final chapter deals with the features of the prymnesin–membrane interaction. This book is a valuable resource for pharmacologists, bacteriologists, zoologists, physiologists, botanists, and oceanographers. Scientists involved in biological oceanography and comparative physiology will also find this book useful.

Marine organisms produce a wide array of toxins, many of which are not only structurally unusual, but also show potent and interesting modes of action. Since the discovery of tetrodotoxin, a pufferfish toxin, as a potent and selective blocker of Na+ channels in 1964, it has been widely used as a research tool in pharmacological and physiological research. This has led to the identification of a number of important biological functions for Na+ channels. In recent years, much biological research has been carried out at molecular and cellular levels, and therefore selective inhibitors of enzymes and selective antagonist/agonists of receptors and channels have become increasingly important research tools. Accordingly, interest in using such compounds as reagents has increased. Marine toxins are some of the most popular research tools and have already contributed much to our understanding of biological processes and disease mechanisms.

This paper provides an extensive review of different aspects of five shellfish-poisoning syndromes (paralytic, diarrhoeic, amnesic, neurologic and azapiracid), as well as one fish-poisoning syndrome (ciguatera fish poisoning), and discusses in detail the causative toxins produced by marine organisms, chemical structures and analytical methods of the toxins, habitat and occurrence of the toxin-producing organisms, case studies and existing regulations. Based on this analysis, risk assessments are carried out for each of the toxins, and recommendations are elaborated to improve the management of these risks in order to reduce the harmful effect of these toxins on public health.

Marine biotoxins may pose a threat to the human consumption of seafood and seafood products. The increasing global trade and higher demand for seafood products worldwide represents a challenge for food safety authorities, policy makers, food business operators, and the scientific community, in particular, researchers devoted to environmental sciences, toxicology, and analytical chemistry. In addition, due to changes in climate conditions and technological developments, new and emerging marine toxins are being detected in regions where they were previously unknown. This Special Issue highlight studies aiming to the develop detection methods for marine biotoxins for better understanding the dynamics of accumulation/elimination of marine biotoxins and their effects on marine organisms, as well as toxin exposure studies that aim to evaluate the risks associated with the consumption of contaminated seafood.

Drugs and the Cell Cycle provides an introduction to fundamental principles and studies on the mechanisms of drug action on proliferating cells. The book is intended to reduce the time lag between observation and practical application. Comprised of 10 chapters, the book describes the plant alkaloids, alkylating agents, mercurials, adrenergic agents, radiomimetics, narcotics, hallucinogens, mitogens, hepatotoxins, antiobiotics, and antimetabolites of various types. The text also emphasizes the drugs used in cancer chemotherapy, and the in vitro and in vivo cell systems of bacteria, protozoa, sea urchins, and mammals. The concepts are presented with comprehensive illustrations and tables to help readers obtain more efficient understanding and learning. The information and concepts presented in this volume will be of great interest to scientists and students in many disciplines, including physiology, pharmacology, and oncology, as well as cellular, molecular, and developmental biology. The book will also fill the gap between drug experimental observations and their potential relevance to man.

Advances in Marine Biology