[Effects of allelochemical dibutyl phthalate on Gymnodinium breve reactive oxygen species]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of inhibitory action of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) on red tide algae Gymnodinium breve. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, contents of *OH and H2O2, and O2*(-) production rate were investigated, and also for the effects of electron transfer inhibitors on the ROS induction of DBP. The results showed that DBP triggered the synthesis of reactive oxygen species ROS, and with the increase of concentration of DBP, *OH and H2O2 contents in cells accumulated, as for the 3 mg x L(-1) DBP treated algae cultures, OH showed a peak of 33 U x mL(-1) at 48 h, which was about 2. 4 times higher than that in the controlled, and H2O2 contents was about 250 nmol x (10(7) cells)(-1) at 72 h, which was about 5 times higher and also was the highest during the whole culture. Rotenone (an inhibitor of complex I in the mitochondria electron transport chain) decreased the DBP induced ROS production, and dicumarol (an inhibitor of the redox enzyme system in the plasma membrane) stimulated the DBP induced ROS production. Taken all together, the results demonstrated DBP induced over production of reactive oxygen species in G. breve, which is the main inhibitory mechanism, and mitochondria and plasma membrane seem to be the main target site of DBP. These conclusions were of scientific meaning on uncovering the inhibitory mechanism of allelochemical on algae.