How Exposure to toxic blue-green algae, exacerbated by climate change, shown to cause liver disease in mouse models

A University of California, Irvine-led study found that C Y L-I N D R O S P-E R M O P S-I N, a type of blue-green algae toxin, damages gut bacteria and increases the risk of irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, obesity, and liver inflammation—a precursor to liver cancer.

 

In a review distributed in the diary Poisons, Saurabh Chatterjee, PhD, relating creator and teacher of ecological and word related wellbeing in UCI's Program in General Wellbeing and teacher of medication at the UCI Institute of Medication, was quick to cover a potential association between oral openness to C Y L-I N D R O S P-E R M O P S-I N (a type of cyanobacteria) and liver harm through the "stomach association."

 

Cyanobacteria, also known as "blue-green algae", are photosynthetic organisms that can be found in any kind of water system. They grow from light energy and inorganic compounds. The growth of these cyanobacteria in water bodies, also known as the formation of harmful algal blooms, is exacerbated by stressors related to climate change.

 

Another cytotoxic, microcystin, had previously been linked to the gut, brain, and mind by the researchers. PU-A N G S-A H-A, the study's first author and a doctoral student at UCI working in Chatterjee's lab, examined the effects of oral exposure to these harmful algal blooms on the environment of gut bacteria using mouse models. 

 

She found that there was a significant increase in opportunistic pathogens and a parallel decrease in populations of beneficial bacteria. Intestinal stability is disrupted as a result of this imbalance in normal physiological functions, likely leading to an increased risk of disease.

 

The small and large intestines are colonized by a wide range of microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protozoa, which make up the intestinal microbiome. More than 100 trillion communal bacteria live in the intestine. These bacteria are the majority of the other microorganisms and play a crucial role in the metabolism, immunity, physiology, and nutrition of the host.

 

According to S-A H-A, "extensive research has already linked changes in the gut microbiome to metabolic conditions like obesity, liver disease, Parkinson's disease, and more". More and more studies are showing that exposure to pesticides and environmental factors like blue-green algae can have negative effects on pathophysiology

 

The research group led by Chatterjee has a long history of working with cytotoxic that are caused by climate change. Future in-depth mechanistic studies based on the lab's findings will help toxicologists better understand blue-green algae's overall toxicity and its role in the intestinal microenvironment.

 

How the environment affects human health and the progression of disease is undergoing slow but alarming changes as a result of climate change. Even though climate change is having an impact on ecology and the built environment, not enough research is looking at how it affects human health and disease, Chatterjee said.

 

Stressors brought on by climate change include harmful algae, heat stress brought on by frequent heat waves, and an increase in the number of bacteria that cause cholera in coastal areas. These factors all have a significant impact on vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and people who have a metabolic disease.

 

An honor bestowed on a select few articles published in this Q1 journal in Toxicology is the designation of the study as a "Featured" contribution. NIH/N-I E-H S Grant No. 1P01ES028942-01 provided funding for this study.

 

Extra creators on this study incorporate D-I P R O Bose, M-A D H U R-A More, S U B H-A J-I Roy and A Y U S H-I T R-I V-E D-I all doctoral understudies from the UCI Program in General Wellbeing; Geoff I. Scott, M-A C Y L-A Upright, and M-A C Y L-A Upright, both of the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health; and Baylor University's Bryan Brooks

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