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Updated: May 22, 2026

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Published on: April 21, 2023
Effects of nitrate on nitrite toxicity to Microcystis aeruginosa
Weimin Chen1, Haibin Tong, Hao Liu
1College of Environment and Planning, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, PR China. chenwm_env@yahoo.com.cn
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nitrate on nitrite toxicity to Microcystis aeruginosa. Short-term uptake experiment revealed nitrate could depress the nitrite active uptake. The long-term experiment of nitrate effects on nitrite toxicity showed a negative relationship between the growth and intracellular nitrite levels of M. aeruginosa. The net nitrite uptake displayed a decline in the range of 0-150 mg NO(3)(-)-NL(-1) and an elevation at 200mg NO(3)(-)-NL(-1), whereas the activities of nitrate reductase (NR) were more sensitive to nitrate than nitrite reductase (NiR). As a result, the total intracellular nitrite levels tended to decrease up to 100 mg NO(3)(-)-NL(-1) then increased at 150-200 mg NO(3)(-)-NL(-1). These results suggested the existence of external nitrate could affect the toxicity of nitrite to alga through changing intracellular nitrite content.
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