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Insecticides induced biochemical changes in freshwater microalga Chlamydomonas mexicana

  • Selected Papers from the 2nd Contaminated Land, Ecological Assessment and Remediation (CLEAR 2014) Conference: Environmental Pollution and Remediation
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Abstract

The effect of insecticides (acephate and imidacloprid) on a freshwater microalga Chlamydomonas mexicana was investigated with respect to photosynthetic pigments, carbohydrate and protein contents, fatty acids composition and induction of stress indicators including proline, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). C. mexicana was cultivated with 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mg L−1 of acephate and imidacloprid. The microalga growth increased with increasing concentrations of both insecticides up to 15 mg L−1, beyond which the growth declined compared to control condition (without insecticides). C. mexicana cultivated with 15 mg L−1 of both insecticides for 12 days was used for further analysis. The accumulation of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll and carotenoids), carbohydrates and protein was decreased in the presence of both insecticides. Acephate and imidacloprid induced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and increased the concentration of proline in the microalga, which play a defensive role against various environmental stresses. Fatty acid analysis revealed that the fraction of polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased on exposure to both insecticides. C. mexicana also promoted 25 and 21 % removal of acephate and imidacloprid, respectively. The biochemical changes in C. mexicana on exposure to acephate and imidacloprid indicate that the microalga undergoes an adaptive change in response to the insecticide-induced oxidative stress.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Mid-career Researcher Program (National Research Foundation of Korea, 2013069183). The financial support from the Hanyang University, South Korea, is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 133-791, South Korea

    Muthukannan Satheesh Kumar, Akhil N. Kabra, Marwa M. El-Dalatony, Jiuqiang Xiong & Byong-Hun Jeon

  2. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1 Seocheon-dong, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 446-701, South Korea

    Booki Min

  3. Division of Microbial Biodiversity and Bioenergy, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India

    Nooruddin Thajuddin

  4. Department of Energy and Mineral Resources Engineering, Dong-A University, 840 Handan2-dong, Saha-gu, Busan, 604-714, South Korea

    Dae Sung Lee

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  1. Muthukannan Satheesh Kumar
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Kumar, M.S., Kabra, A.N., Min, B. et al. Insecticides induced biochemical changes in freshwater microalga Chlamydomonas mexicana . Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 1091–1099 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4681-6

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