Effects of bleaching on the pharmacological and toxicological activities elicited by the aqueous extracts prepared from two “fire corals” collected in the Mexican Caribbean

►Bleaching does not importantly influence biological effects induced by hydrocorals. ►Hydrocorals, not their symbionts, are the main source of the bioactive compounds. ►Millepora ssp. are capable of producing toxins even in the absence of their symbionts.