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Chapter 2.7: β-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA)
Citation:
Chernoff, N., E. Faassen, AND D. Hill. Chapter 2.7: β-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA). Edition 2, Chapter 2.7, Ingrid Chorus and Martin Welker (ed.), Toxic Cyanobacteria in Water: A Guide to Their Public Health Consequences, Monitoring and Management. World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland, , 123-130, (2021).
Impact/Purpose:
The chapter will appear in the WHO-sponsored volume "Toxic Cyanobacteria in Water" (TCiW); Second Edition. Since the first edition was published in 1999, the book has been used as a global resource concerning all aspects of freshwater toxins produced by cyanobacteria. These toxins have become a worldwide problem causing massive fish and wildlife deaths, livestock illness and deaths, pet deaths, and human illness in addition to economic impacts dealing with water quality issues and economic losses due to adverse effects on tourism. This invited chapter deals with a cyanobacterial metabolite, beta-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), that has been postulated to induce several serious neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinsonism and Alzheimer's disease. The purpose of the chapter was to critically review the evidence for the claims of BMAA toxicity in humans. The conclusion of the chapter is that the evidence for a significant role of BMAA in human disease is lacking and this may impact the initiation of further research efforts with this chemical.
Description:
The chapter includes discussions of the formation and history of the BMAA-human neurodegenerative disease hypothesis on both Guam and the U.S.; the postulated human exposures from foods and environmental exposures; evidence for the relationship of BMAA and human disease; the toxicity of BMAA in laboratory animal studies; possible mechanisms of neurotoxicity; and the chemical analysis of BMAA. The Conclusion of the chapter is that the evidence for BMAA being a single cause of neurodegenerative diseases in Guam, where it was first studied , as well as the rest of the world, is extremely weak or absent, and other possibilities should be studied, both singly and as additive factors.
