Acute toxicity of microcystin-LR in BALB/c mice]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate acute toxicity of microcystin-LR in BALB/c mice. METHODS: BALB/c mice were subjected to intraperitoneal injection of microcystin-LR at the half lethal dose (LD50) and 1/2 LD50, and the organ weight indices and various biochemical indices were determined 30 min and 4 h after the treatment, respectively. RESULTS: Significant increase in liver or kidney weight index occurred in the treated mice, indicating hemorrhagic conditions of the two organs. A slight increase in serum levels of aspartate amino transferase and alanine aminotransferase was observed along with an obvious decrease in serum urea levels, suggesting liver damage. The increase of serum uric acid also indicated the presence of kidney damage. CONCLUSION: The kidney may be another target of microcystins besides the liver.