Cyanotoxins and their Potential Applications-A Review

Cyanobacteria are prokaryotic photoautotrophs capable of carrying out photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation simultaneously and they locate from different habitats are known to produce a diverse array of toxic bioactive compounds, particularly in terms of the physiology and ecology of the cyanobacteria that produce them, remains largely unknown. Although the potential of cyanobacteria as biofertiliser is well known, the attention has recently been focused on the biotechnological potential of cyanobacteria for obtaining pharmacologically active secondary metabolites which exhibit anticancer, antimicrobial, antifungal or anti-inflammatory, antiplasmodial, algicide, antiplatelet aggregation, immunosuppressive activities, expressing allelopathy character as well as the potential for development and application of these compounds as algicides, herbicides and insecticides. This review will discuss the existing evidence for the role of cyanotoxins, and specifically present relevant results from investigations into toxins of cyanobacteria from the published literature.