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Domoic Acid as a Neurotoxin

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Handbook of Neurotoxicity

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Abstract

Domoic acid (DOM) is a naturally occurring excitatory amino acid with structural similarity, and similar but not identical pharmacological profile, to kainic acid. DOM is most commonly associated with toxic blooms of marine phytoplankton resulting in contamination of shellfish as well as other species. This brief chapter summarizes the known toxicological properties of DOM both in vitro and in vivo in a variety of model systems. The chapter also summarizes information on clinical cases of intoxication in both wildlife and humans and highlights the growing evidence that DOM is a potent neurodevelopmental toxin with relevance to both food safety issues and the etiology of neurological diseases.

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Abbreviations

AMPA/KA:

α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid/kainate

AMPA-R:

AMPA receptor

CA:

cornu ammonis

CGC:

cerebellar granule cell

CNS:

central nervous system

CSF:

cerebrospinal fluid

DOM:

domoic acid

EAA:

excitatory amino acid

EC50:

50% effective concentration

ED50:

50% effective dose

GABA:

Gamma aminobutyric acid

GFAP:

glial fibrillary acidic protein

GI:

gastrointestinal

GluK:

kainate receptor subunit

GluR:

glutamate receptor

HPLC:

high performance liquid chromatography

JNK:

Jun-N-terminal kinase

KA:

kainic acid

KA-R:

kainate receptor

MEK:

mitogen-activated protein kinase

mRNA:

messenger ribonucleic acid

NMDA:

N-methyl-d-aspartate

PKA:

Protein kinase A

SD:

Sprague-Dawley

TrkB:

Tropomyosin receptor kinase B

VSCC:

voltage-gated calcium channel

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  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada

    Anabel Pérez-Gómez & R. Andrew Tasker

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    Richard M. Kostrzewa

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Pérez-Gómez, A., Tasker, R.A. (2022). Domoic Acid as a Neurotoxin. In: Kostrzewa, R.M. (eds) Handbook of Neurotoxicity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15080-7_87

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