Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
Encyclopedia
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae is a freshwater species of cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are an ancient clade of bacterial microphyte, part of the cyanobacteria phylum.
AFA as a species has both toxic and nontoxic forms. Most sources of AFA worldwide are toxic; containing both hepatic
and neuro endotoxins.
Vitamin
AFA is a nearly complete source of bioavailable
vitamins, including vitamin B12
.
Carbohydrate
AFA contains a polysaccharide
that stimulates the migration of immune cells in the body; the only natural compound known to stimulate immune cell migration.
Essential fatty acids
The lipid content of AFA is rich in EFAs, especially DHA
and EPA
Omega-3 fatty acid
s . The DHA/EPA will vary depending on what point the algae is harvested during its life cycle and time of harvest but in most cases it is less than .05% mg.[the what?]
lake
east of the Cascade Range
in south central Oregon
in the United States
. The largest freshwater body in Oregon, it is approximately 20 mi (32 km) long and 8 mi (12.9 km) wide and extends northwest from the city of Klamath Falls
. It sits at an elevation of 4140 ft (1262 m).
The lake depth fluctuates due to regulation of its water supply, ranging from 8 ft (2.5 m) to 60 feet (18 m) deep at average levels. The lake level is kept within 1261 to 1264 m above sea level. It is fed by several streams, including the Williamson River
and is drained by the Link River
, which issues from the south end of the lake. It is connected by a short channel to the smaller Agency Lake to the north. The Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge sits along the north edge of the lake.
Upper Klamath Lake is located in the high desert southern most part of the state of Oregon. The lake is protected to the northwest by the Cascade Mountains with an arid sagebrush steppe to the east and south. The lake is fed by 17 mineral-rich rivers that deposit an average of 50,000 tons of mineral-rich silt from the surrounding 4000 square miles (10,360 km²) volcanic basin, making Upper Klamath Lake one of the richest nutrient traps in the world. The lake waters and its sediments have a high mineral and trace element concentration due to a prehistoric volcanic eruption event (more than 7700y/A). The event covered the area with millions of tons of mineral ash as far north as the Canadian border. The regions volcanic legacy is associated with the Pacific Ring of Fire
, a geologically active region that experiences large-scale volcanic
, tectonic
, and glacial events.
Upper Klamath Lake is free of adverse bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. The lake receives an average 300 days of sunlight per year which provides a perfect growing environment for AFA. The nutrient solution, in the favorable alkalinity of the lake water, provides more than 60 times the nutrients needed for the bloom.
-enhancing properties of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae.
In a recent double-blind, cross-over study at the Royal Victoria Hospital led by Dr. Gette Jenson, discovered that Blue Green Algae uniquely supports the healthy function of the immune system.
The following are brief summaries of other scientific studies:
Recently the first stage of an extensive research project carried out at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada, studying the effect of AFA on the immune and endocrine system
s, as well as on general blood physiology, found that eating AFA had a profound and effect on Natural Killer
(NK) cells. AFA triggers the movement of 40% of the circulating NK cells from the blood to tissues.
AFA is known to produce endotoxins, toxic chemicals that are released when cells die. Once released (lysed
), and ingested these toxins can damage liver
and nerve tissues in mammal
s. In areas where water quality is not closely monitored, the World Health Organization
has assessed toxic algae as a health risk, citing the production of Anatoxin-a
, saxitoxin
s, and cylindrospermopsin
. Dogs
have been reported to have become ill or have fatal reactions after swimming in rivers and lakes containing toxic AFA. Reactions are most likely due to consumption of the bacteria rather than exposure to the skin.
Microcystin
toxin has been found in all 16 samples of AFA bacteria products sold as food supplements in Germany and Switzerland, originating from Lake Klamath: 10 out of 16 samples exceeded the safety value of 1 µg microcystin per gram. University professor Daniel Dietrich warned parents not to let children consume AFA products, since children are even more vulnerable to toxic effects, due to lower body weight, and the continuous intake might lead to accumulation of toxins. Dietrich also warns against quackery schemes selling AFA bacteria as medicine against illnesses like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), causing people to omit their regular drugs.
in Oregon.
AFA as a species has both toxic and nontoxic forms. Most sources of AFA worldwide are toxic; containing both hepatic
Hepatotoxin
A hepatotoxin is a toxic chemical substance that damages the liver.It can be a side-effect of medication, or found naturally, as microcystins, or in laboratory environments....
and neuro endotoxins.
VitaminVitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...
s
AFA is a nearly complete source of bioavailableBioavailability
In pharmacology, bioavailability is a subcategory of absorption and is used to describe the fraction of an administered dose of unchanged drug that reaches the systemic circulation, one of the principal pharmacokinetic properties of drugs. By definition, when a medication is administered...
vitamins, including vitamin B12
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, vitamin B12 or vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood. It is one of the eight B vitamins...
.
CarbohydrateCarbohydrateA carbohydrate is an organic compound with the empirical formula ; that is, consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with a hydrogen:oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 . However, there are exceptions to this. One common example would be deoxyribose, a component of DNA, which has the empirical...
s
AFA contains a polysaccharidePolysaccharide
Polysaccharides are long carbohydrate molecules, of repeated monomer units joined together by glycosidic bonds. They range in structure from linear to highly branched. Polysaccharides are often quite heterogeneous, containing slight modifications of the repeating unit. Depending on the structure,...
that stimulates the migration of immune cells in the body; the only natural compound known to stimulate immune cell migration.
Essential fatty acidsEssential fatty acidEssential fatty acids, or EFAs, are fatty acids that humans and other animals must ingest because the body requires them for good health but cannot synthesize them...
The lipid content of AFA is rich in EFAs, especially DHADocosahexaenoic acid
Docosahexaenoic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid that is a primary structural component of the human brain and retina. In chemical structure, DHA is a carboxylic acid with a 22-carbon chain and six cis double bonds; the first double bond is located at the third carbon from the omega end...
and EPA
Eicosapentaenoic acid
Eicosapentaenoic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid. In physiological literature, it is given the name 20:5. It also has the trivial name timnodonic acid...
Omega-3 fatty acid
Omega-3 fatty acid
N−3 fatty acids are essential unsaturated fatty acids with a double bond starting after the third carbon atom from the end of the carbon chain....
s . The DHA/EPA will vary depending on what point the algae is harvested during its life cycle and time of harvest but in most cases it is less than .05% mg.[the what?]
Source
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae grows in many areas of the world. The biomass that accumulates every year in Klamath Lake is among the most abundant, although toxins have been identified in its yield.Klamath Lake
Upper Klamath Lake (sometimes called Klamath Lake) is a large, shallow freshwaterFreshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
east of the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
in south central Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The largest freshwater body in Oregon, it is approximately 20 mi (32 km) long and 8 mi (12.9 km) wide and extends northwest from the city of Klamath Falls
Klamath Falls, Oregon
Klamath Falls is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. Originally called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867, after the Link River on whose falls this city sat, although no falls currently exist; the name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1892...
. It sits at an elevation of 4140 ft (1262 m).
The lake depth fluctuates due to regulation of its water supply, ranging from 8 ft (2.5 m) to 60 feet (18 m) deep at average levels. The lake level is kept within 1261 to 1264 m above sea level. It is fed by several streams, including the Williamson River
Williamson River (Oregon)
The Williamson River of south-central Oregon in the United States is about long. It drains about east of the Cascade Range. Together with its principal tributary, the Sprague River, it provides over half the inflow to Upper Klamath Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Oregon...
and is drained by the Link River
Link River
The Link River is a short river connecting Upper Klamath Lake to Lake Ewauna in the city of Klamath Falls in the U.S. state of Oregon. Draining a basin of , the river begins at the southern end of Klamath Lake and flows a short distance to the Link River Dam and continues to the head of Lake Ewauna...
, which issues from the south end of the lake. It is connected by a short channel to the smaller Agency Lake to the north. The Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge sits along the north edge of the lake.
Upper Klamath Lake is located in the high desert southern most part of the state of Oregon. The lake is protected to the northwest by the Cascade Mountains with an arid sagebrush steppe to the east and south. The lake is fed by 17 mineral-rich rivers that deposit an average of 50,000 tons of mineral-rich silt from the surrounding 4000 square miles (10,360 km²) volcanic basin, making Upper Klamath Lake one of the richest nutrient traps in the world. The lake waters and its sediments have a high mineral and trace element concentration due to a prehistoric volcanic eruption event (more than 7700y/A). The event covered the area with millions of tons of mineral ash as far north as the Canadian border. The regions volcanic legacy is associated with the Pacific Ring of Fire
Pacific Ring of Fire
The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements...
, a geologically active region that experiences large-scale volcanic
Volcanism
Volcanism is the phenomenon connected with volcanoes and volcanic activity. It includes all phenomena resulting from and causing magma within the crust or mantle of a planet to rise through the crust and form volcanic rocks on the surface....
, tectonic
Plate tectonics
Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that describes the large scale motions of Earth's lithosphere...
, and glacial events.
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae in Klamath Lake
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae from lake Klamath are known to be hepatotoxic (see the section on toxicity). The AFA in Klamath Lake is unique among microphytes of the lake in its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. During harvest season, it uses the available nutrition, creating a massive bloom, choking out competing blooms, so that the water's microphyte volume is nearly 100% AFA.Upper Klamath Lake is free of adverse bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. The lake receives an average 300 days of sunlight per year which provides a perfect growing environment for AFA. The nutrient solution, in the favorable alkalinity of the lake water, provides more than 60 times the nutrients needed for the bloom.
Research
Recently there have been many scientifically-controlled studies analyzing the immune systemImmune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
-enhancing properties of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae.
In a recent double-blind, cross-over study at the Royal Victoria Hospital led by Dr. Gette Jenson, discovered that Blue Green Algae uniquely supports the healthy function of the immune system.
The following are brief summaries of other scientific studies:
- University of New Mexico - placebo controlled study. After eating AFA food supplement for a period of one month, intestinal function can improve. Another placebo-controlled study suggests that eating Aphanizomenon flos-aquae can stimulate specific areas of the brain for increased mental alertness.
Recently the first stage of an extensive research project carried out at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada, studying the effect of AFA on the immune and endocrine system
Endocrine system
In physiology, the endocrine system is a system of glands, each of which secretes a type of hormone directly into the bloodstream to regulate the body. The endocrine system is in contrast to the exocrine system, which secretes its chemicals using ducts. It derives from the Greek words "endo"...
s, as well as on general blood physiology, found that eating AFA had a profound and effect on Natural Killer
Natural killer cell
Natural killer cells are a type of cytotoxic lymphocyte that constitute a major component of the innate immune system. NK cells play a major role in the rejection of tumors and cells infected by viruses...
(NK) cells. AFA triggers the movement of 40% of the circulating NK cells from the blood to tissues.
Toxic forms of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
Toxicity of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae has been reported in Canada, Germany and China.AFA is known to produce endotoxins, toxic chemicals that are released when cells die. Once released (lysed
Lysis
Lysis refers to the breaking down of a cell, often by viral, enzymic, or osmotic mechanisms that compromise its integrity. A fluid containing the contents of lysed cells is called a "lysate"....
), and ingested these toxins can damage liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
and nerve tissues in mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s. In areas where water quality is not closely monitored, the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
has assessed toxic algae as a health risk, citing the production of Anatoxin-a
Anatoxin-a
Anatoxin-a, also known as Very Fast Death Factor, is a secondary, bicyclic amine alkaloid and cyanotoxin with acute neurotoxicity. The toxin is produced by at least four different genera of cyanobacteria and has been reported in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and New Zealand. The toxin is...
, saxitoxin
Saxitoxin
Saxitoxin is a neurotoxin naturally produced by certain species of marine dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria Saxitoxin (STX) is a neurotoxin naturally produced by certain species of marine dinoflagellates (Alexandrium sp., Gymnodinium sp., Pyrodinium sp.) and cyanobacteria Saxitoxin (STX) is a...
s, and cylindrospermopsin
Cylindrospermopsin
Cylindrospermopsin is a cyanotoxin produced by a variety of freshwater cyanobacteria. CYN is a polycyclic uracil derivative containing guanidino and sulfate groups. It is also zwitterionic, making it highly water soluble. CYN is toxic to liver and kidney tissue and is thought to inhibit protein...
. Dogs
Canidae
Canidae is the biological family of carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that includes wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes, and domestic dogs. A member of this family is called a canid . The Canidae family is divided into two tribes: Canini and Vulpini...
have been reported to have become ill or have fatal reactions after swimming in rivers and lakes containing toxic AFA. Reactions are most likely due to consumption of the bacteria rather than exposure to the skin.
Microcystin
Microcystin
Microcystins are cyclic nonribosomal peptides produced by cyanobacteria . They are cyanotoxins and can be very toxic for plants and animals including humans. Their hepatotoxicity may cause serious damage to the liver. Microcystins can strongly inhibit protein phosphatases type 1 and 2A , and are...
toxin has been found in all 16 samples of AFA bacteria products sold as food supplements in Germany and Switzerland, originating from Lake Klamath: 10 out of 16 samples exceeded the safety value of 1 µg microcystin per gram. University professor Daniel Dietrich warned parents not to let children consume AFA products, since children are even more vulnerable to toxic effects, due to lower body weight, and the continuous intake might lead to accumulation of toxins. Dietrich also warns against quackery schemes selling AFA bacteria as medicine against illnesses like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), causing people to omit their regular drugs.
As a food supplement
Some compressed tablets of powdered Aphanizomenon flos-aquae cyanobacteria (named as "blue green algae") have been sold as food supplements, notably those filtered from Upper Klamath LakeUpper Klamath Lake
Upper Klamath Lake is a large, shallow freshwater lake east of the Cascade Range in south central Oregon in the United States. The largest freshwater body in Oregon, it is approximately 20 mi long and 8 mi wide and extends northwest from the city of Klamath Falls...
in Oregon.
See also
- Spirulina (dietary supplement)