© 1996 Oxford University Press
research-article |
Detection of microcystins, a blue-green algal hepatotoxin, in drinking water sampled in Haimen and Fusui, endemic areas of primary liver cancer in China, by highly sensitive immunoassay
1Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Science University of Tokyo Ichigaya, Tokyo 162
2Tokyo Metropolitan Research Laboratory of Public Health Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
3Faculty of Science, Shinsyu University Matsumoto, Japan
4Haimen city Health and Anti-Epidemic Station Jiang-Su Province
5School of Public Health, Shanghai Medical University Shanghai, China
6To whom correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed
An epidemiological survey for the causes of a high incidence of primary liver cancer (PLC) in Haimen city, Jian-Su province and Fusui county, Guangxi province in China, found a close correlation between the incidence of PLC and the drinking of pond and ditch water. With an aim to clarify whether microcystins (MC), a hepatotoxic peptide produced by water bloom algae, contaminate the drinking water in the endemic areas of PLC in China, a highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a detection limit of 50 pg/ml, was introduced to monitor the MC. Three trials to survey the drinking water were carried out in 1993–1994. Samples, 1135 in total, were collected from different sources such as: ponds, ditches, rivers, shallow wells and deep wells in Haimen city. The first survey in September 1993 found that three out of 14 ditch water specimens were positive for MC, with a range of 90–460 pg/ml. Several toxic algae such as Oscillatoria agardhii were present in some of the ditches. In the second trial, samples were collected from fiveponds/ditches, two rivers, two shallow wells and two deep wells monthly for the whole year of 1994. These data showed that MC was highest in June to September, with a range of 62–296 pg/ml. A third trial on the 989 different water samples collected from the different types of water sources in July 1994 revealed that 17% of the pond/ditch water, 32% of the river water, and 4% of the shallow-well water were positive for MC, with averagesof 101, 160 and 68 pg/ml respectively. No MC was detected in deep well water. A similar survey on 26 drinking watersamples in Fusui, Guangxi province, demonstrated a high contamination frequency of MC in the water of ponds/ditchesand rivers but no MC in shallow and deep wells. These data support a hypothesis that the blue-green algal toxin MC in the drinking water of ponds/ditches and rivers, or both, is one of the risk factors for the high incidence of PLC in China. Based on previous findings on the epidemiology of PLC and the present results from the mass screening of MC in the drinking water, an advisory level of MC in drinking water was proposed to below 0.01 µg/I. The combined effectof a potent hepato-carcinogen AFB1 and an intermittent intake of MC in drinking water in the summer season was discussed as an etiology of PLC.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  J. Chen, P. Xie, L. Li, and J. Xu First Identification of the Hepatotoxic Microcystins in the Serum of a Chronically Exposed Human Population Together with Indication of Hepatocellular Damage Toxicol. Sci., March 1, 2009; 108(1): 81 - 89. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
H. Lu, S. Choudhuri, K. Ogura, I. L. Csanaky, X. Lei, X. Cheng, P.-z. Song, and C. D. Klaassen Characterization of Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide 1b2-null Mice: Essential Role in Hepatic Uptake/Toxicity of Phalloidin and Microcystin-LR Toxicol. Sci., May 1, 2008; 103(1): 35 - 45. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. P. Clark, T. P. Ryan, G. H. Searfoss, M. A. Davis, and S. B. Hooser Chronic Microcystin Exposure Induces Hepatocyte Proliferation with Increased Expression of Mitotic and Cyclin-associated Genes in P53-deficient Mice Toxicol Pathol, February 1, 2008; 36(2): 190 - 203. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. P. Clark, M. A. Davis, T. P. Ryan, G. H. Searfoss, and S. B. Hooser Hepatic Gene Expression Changes in Mice Associated with Prolonged Sublethal Microcystin Exposure Toxicol Pathol, June 1, 2007; 35(4): 594 - 605. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. T.N. Moller, H. R. Samari, and P. O. Seglen Toxin-Induced Tail Phosphorylation of Hepatocellular S6 Kinase: Evidence for a Dual Involvement of the AMP-Activated Protein Kinase in S6 Kinase Regulation Toxicol. Sci., December 1, 2004; 82(2): 628 - 637. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. Mlouka, K. Comte, A.-M. Castets, C. Bouchier, and N. Tandeau de Marsac The Gas Vesicle Gene Cluster from Microcystis aeruginosa and DNA Rearrangements That Lead to Loss of Cell Buoyancy J. Bacteriol., April 15, 2004; 186(8): 2355 - 2365. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. B. Hooser Fulminant Hepatocyte Apoptosis In Vivo Following Microcystin-LR Administration to Rats Toxicol Pathol, September 1, 2000; 28(5): 726 - 733. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Sekijima, T. Tsutsumi, T. Yoshida, T. Harada, F. Tashiro, G. Chen, S.-Z. Yu, and Y. Ueno Enhancement of glutathione S-transferase placental-form positive liver cell foci development by microcystin-LR in aflatoxin B1-initiated rats Carcinogenesis, January 1, 1999; 20(1): 161 - 165. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. Yoshida, Y. Makita, T. Tsutsumi, S. Nagata, F. Tashiro, F. Yoshida, M. Sekuima, S.-I. Tamura, T. Harada, K. Maita, et al. Immunohistochemical Localization of Microcystin-LR in the Liver of Mice: A Study on the Pathogenesis of Microcystin-LR-Induced Hepatotoxicity Toxicol Pathol, May 1, 1998; 26(3): 411 - 418. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|