Description
Microcystins are a group of hepatotoxins produced by cyanobacteria during and after blooms in water bodies. Consumption of contaminated water with these toxins can promote cancer. The toxicity of microcystins is associated with the inhibition of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A enzymes (PP1 &PP2A), which leads to hepatocyte dysfunction. MicroCystest is the first and only commercially available kit based on the inhibition of the PP2A activity by microcystins, and therefore able to detect all potential toxic microcystins present in the sample (over 120 different varieties of MCs have been described up-to-date). Monitoring of drinking and environmental water is therefore very important; and so a provisional upper limit of 1 µg/L in drinking water was introduced by the World Health Organization as a guideline.
MicroCystest kit uses this inhibitory reaction for determination of microcystins concentration by means of a microtiter plate and a colorimetric substrate. The enzyme hydrolyses the substrate and the product can be determined by an absorbance measurement at 405 nm. As the ability of the PP to hydrolyse the substrate depends on the presence of microcystins in the samples, the toxin concentration can be calculated by using a standard curve.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has verified the performance of MicroCystest kit for detection of microcystins under the Environmental Verification Technology Program (ETV).
- Fast: 30 minutes
- Simple: one step assay
- Quantitative: working range 0.25-2.5 µg/L
- Semi-Quantitative: working range 0.5-2.5 µg/L
- Formats: Plate (48 or 96 wells) and tube
- Suitable for: drinking and surface water
- In Vitro Bioassay: able to detect ALL toxics microcystins
