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Affinity-based alleviation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on tetracycline toxicity to photosynthesis of green algae Chlorella vulgaris: roles of hydrophilic and hydrophobic DOM

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Abstract

The environmental fate and toxic effects of antibiotics such as tetracycline (TC) could be influenced by the ubiquitous dissolved organic matter (DOM). However, DOM from different origins has different hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. It is still unknown the effects of hydrophilic and hydrophobic DOM on the toxic effect of TC. In this study, DOM with hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity was separated and used to investigate their roles in affecting TC toxicity to the photosynthesis of green algae Chlorella vulgaris. Results showed that 10 mg L−1 TC inhibited the efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) of C. vulgaris using light by hindering electron transfer from QA− to QB/QB−, and the O2 release rate of C. vulgaris decreased by a third after 12-h treatment of 10 mg L−1 TC, while both hydrophilic and hydrophobic DOM (20 mg L−1 TOC) alleviated TC toxicity to the photosynthesis of C. vulgaris. In the presence of hydrophilic or hydrophobic DOM, stable complex of TC-hydrophilic DOM or TC-hydrophobic DOM was formed immediately, due to the good affinity of both DOM for TC. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy result showed that both hydrophilic and hydrophobic DOM could reduce C=O in TC to C–O, and isothermal titration calorimetry result suggested that reactions of both DOM with TC were exothermic (△H < 0) and spontaneous (△G < 0). Thereinto, the reaction constant (Ka) of TC reacting with hydrophobic DOM (Ka=9.70) was higher than that with hydrophilic DOM (Ka=8.93), indicating hydrophobic DOM with more chemical binding sites and accessible fractions for TC. The present study suggests that DOM, especially the hydrophobic DOM, is an important consideration in the environmental impact assessment of antibiotics.

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1802900), National Natural Science Foundation of China (4210070598, U1703243), Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (LQ22D030004), and Scientific Starting Foundation of Zhejiang University of Technology (2020129007029).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, No. 18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou, 310014, China

    Caiqin Wang, Tingfeng Cheng, Shuting Tang, Daoyong Zhang & Xiangliang Pan

  2. Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310014, China

    Caiqin Wang, Daoyong Zhang & Xiangliang Pan

  3. Zhejiang Environmental Monitoring Engineering Co. Ltd., Hang Zhou, 310012, China

    Hang Xu

  4. Zhejiang Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, Hang Zhou, 310012, China

    Hang Xu

  5. College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China

    Meichao Li

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  1. Caiqin Wang
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  2. Hang Xu
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  3. Tingfeng Cheng
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  4. Shuting Tang
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  7. Xiangliang Pan
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Contributions

Caiqin Wang performed formal analysis and wrote the original draft; Hang Xu provided methodology and investigation; Tingfeng Cheng and Shuting Tang provided methodology and analyzed the data; Daoyong Zhang and Meichao Li reviewed the manuscript; Xiangliang Pan supervised the entire project, processed the concept, and provided methodology. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xiangliang Pan.

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Wang, C., Xu, H., Cheng, T. et al. Affinity-based alleviation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on tetracycline toxicity to photosynthesis of green algae Chlorella vulgaris: roles of hydrophilic and hydrophobic DOM. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 42165–42175 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25201-7

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