A Review of the Study on Dualistic Toxicity of Microcystin-induced Apoptosis and Tumor Promotion

Microcystin, as a major blue-green algae toxin in the eutrophic fresh water around the world has been frequently detected, and its hazards to nature and human shouldn't be ignored. It has been reported that microcystin, as a specific hepatotoxin, has a strong inhibitory effect on the protein phosphatase, showing the dualistic toxicity with induction of apoptosis and promotion of tumor. In this review, the dualistic toxicity of microcystins was briefly summarized.