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Quantification of Heavy Metals and Other Inorganic Contaminants on the Productivity of Microalgae
Published on: July 10, 2015
Genotoxicity of organic pollutants in source of drinking water on microalga Euglena gracilis
Mei Li1, Changwei Hu, Xiangyu Gao
1State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse and School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, 210093 Nanjing, China.
Abstract:
The potential toxicities of organic pollutants in the drinking water source at Meiliang Bay of Lake Taihu were investigated by comet assay and antioxidant enzyme approach on microalgae Euglena gracilis. The organic extracts of the water samples could induce DNA damage on microalgae cells. Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed at groups of 0.3x, 3x and 10x concentrations compared with the control and a solvent control (DMSO). The organic extracts also affected antioxidant enzyme activity and induced lipid peroxidation in the microalga. In the high dose group, there was an obvious increase in SOD content (P < 0.05). The results suggest that the concentrated organics from water sample extracts have adversary effects on E. gracilis and could possibly damage the ecosystem.
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