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Mierocyslin -LR (M C-LR) is considered to be the most dominant type of cyanobactcrial
toxins- present in water bodies. The present study focuses on using cellular extracts ol Bacillus
cereus in removal of MC-LR in water. Bacterial cell extracts were prepared using over night fresh
cultures of B. cereus which was previously recorded as a potent MC-LR degrading bacterium.
Bacterial cell disruption was performed by bead beating on a micro-mini bead beater. Cell debris
was removed by centrifugation at 13000 rpm, 20 min. Subsequently, a series of concentrations of
cellular extract (10096, 75%, 50% and 25%) was prepared. These cell extracts were separately
incubated at 2 8 ’C with lOOug ml 1 of MC-LR for a period of 4 days, lml aliquots were removed
at 24 hour intervals for four days and frozen at (-2 0 ) °C. Then frozen samples were freeze-dried
and subjected to Photo diode array- High Performance Liquid Chromatography (PDA-HPLC)
analysis to detect the remaining MC-LR concentrations of the samples. At the end of fourth dav,
81.1 ugml ' of MC-LR was removed when 100% of cell extract was used. When 75 % of cell
extract was used, 77.6 ugntl ' of MC-LR removal was evident at the end of fourth day. Where a->
when 50 % and 25% of cell extract were used only 40.7 pgml ' and 25.7 pgml 1 of MC-LR
removal was detected respectively. The results of the present study indicate that bacterial cell
extracts of B. cereus has the ability to remove MC-LR by an enzyme mediated mechanism.
