Physiological responses of three marine microalgae exposed to cypermethrin

• Published in: Environmental toxicology 2012-10, Vol.27 (10), p.563-572
• Main Authors: Wang, Zhao-Hui, Nie, Xiang-Ping, Yue, Wen-Jie, Li, Xin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Chattonella marina; cypermethrin; Diatoms - drug effects; Diatoms - physiology; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Insecticides - adverse effects; Lipid Peroxidation; malondialdehyde (MDA); Malondialdehyde - metabolism; microalga; Microalgae - drug effects; Microalgae - physiology; Oxidative Stress; Pyrethrins - adverse effects; Scrippsiella trochoidea; Sea water ecosystems; Skeletonema costatum; superoxide dismutase (SOD); Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Synecology; Water Pollutants, Chemical - adverse effects
• ISSN: 1520-4081; 1522-7278
• DOI: 10.1002/tox.20678

The effects of cypermethrin on physiological responses of three typical marine microalgal species Skeletonema costatum (Bacillariophyceae), Scrippsiella trochoidea (Dinophyceae), and Chattonella marina (Raphidophyceae), were investigated by 96‐h growth tests in a batch‐culture system. The 96‐h median inhibition concentrations (IC50) were 71.4, 205, and 191 μg L−1 for S. costatum, S. trochoidea, and C. marina, respectively. Quick and significant physiological responses occurred when algal cells were exposed to cypermethrin, and all biochemical parameters varied significantly within 6‐ or 12‐h exposure. Cypermethrin affected algal growth, protein content, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity by stimulation at low concentrations (1, 5 μg L−1) and inhibition at high concentrations (>50 μg L−1). A general increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level was observed in all test groups, which suggested that the toxic effects of cypermethrin were probably exerted through free radical generation. These results suggest that the activation of SOD and promotion of protein at early exposure are important to counteract the oxidative stress induced by cypermethrin, and the inactivation of SOD may be crucial to the growth inhibition of microalgae by cypermethrin. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2012.