Biological importance of microcistin in irrigation and alternative waters in its detection and degradation

Abstract

Introduction: Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms, with the capacity to synthesize a great diversity of secondary metabolites of interest to the industry, but toxins called cyanotoxins have also attracted attention in recent decades, metabolites that cause different physiological alterations until they cause the death of different species. Objective: In this review, the physicochemical and biological properties of microcystins (MC) will be studied to understand their behavior and toxic importance in agricultural crops and in human health. In addition to understanding alternatives for its degradation, by physicochemical methods such as photocatalysis and biological gradation by bacteria. Finally, some current and developing methods will be mentioned for the detection and quantification of these MCs in aquatic environments. Methodology: A literature search was carried out in the databases such as Elservier, Springer, Google Scholar and MDPI using the following terms in Spanish and English "microcystins", "MC degradation" and "MC quantification and detection". Conclusions: MCs have the potential to contaminate water sources such as rivers and lagoons, causing damage to human health and agricultural plants, they have the ability to tolerate different physicochemical and biological factors. Among the alternatives studied, bacterial degradation promises to be the most reliable. Finally, among the different methods for the detection of MCs, the one with the greatest commitment are immunoassays, due to their versatility to be coupled to different methods, whether traditional or novel.