Effect of Nostoc muscorum Ag. ex Born. et Flah. toxins on the upper respiratory tract of mice

Abstract

Intraperitonial administration of 10 μL of Nostoc muscorum Ag. ex Born. et Flah. crude extract was sufficient enough for the death of male AKR strain mice at 4 h of exposure. Body weight, behavioral and histological observations (necrosis of hepatic cells), and biochemical tests (protein phosphatase inhibition) indicated for the presence of microcystines in the crude extract. Since the cyanobacterium was airborne, the very doses were also administered intranasally into mice. A dose of 10 μL of the crude extract resulted in severe morphological alterations of nasal mucosa at 6 h of exposures, but not beyond the nasal cavity. The presence of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A in the tracheal tissues confirmed the susceptibility of the upper respiratory tissues against microcystins. However, due to the deposition of an insufficient amount of toxins post-nasal cavity respiratory tissues exhibited no response. This lack of a response indicated that the route of exposure plays an important role in conferring toxicity. ©Begell House Inc., 2008.