Demonstration of a toxin from <i>Aphanizomenon flos-aquae</i> (L.) Ralfs

Abstract

A potent toxin was extracted from a natural population of the blue-green alga, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. The toxin is thermo- and acid-stable; alkaline labile; soluble in water and ethanol; insoluble in acetone, ether, and chloroform; and readily dialyzable. Preliminary studies show that the alga contains a toxin which, when released from lysed cells, operates at the membrane level, destroying excitability without alteration of the transmembrane resting potential.