Author, as appears in the article.: Exposito, Nora; Carafa, Roberta; Kumar, Vikas; Sierra, Jordi; Schuhmacher, Marta; Gimenez Papiol, Gemma;
Department: Enginyeria Química
URV's Author/s: Exposito Lorenzo, Nora / GIMÉNEZ PAPIOL, GEMMA / Kumar, Vikas / Schuhmacher Ansuategui, Marta
Keywords: Zinc Water pollutants, chemical Water pollutant Toxicity Toxic concentration River Pollution monitoring Photosynthesis Pam Nonhuman Nickel Mucilage Microalgae Microalga Metals, heavy Metals speciation Mathematical model Lead Inhibition Heavy metal poisoning Heavy metal mixtures Heavy metal Experimental study Environmental exposure Edetic acid Ecotoxicology Dilution Decision making Copper Controlled study Concentration (composition) Chlorella vulgaris Bioassay Article Arsenic Animals Animal Algal growth
Abstract: Microalgae growth inhibition assays are candidates for referent ecotoxicology as a fundamental part of the strategy to reduce the use of fish and other animal models in aquatic toxicology. In the present work, the performance of Chlorella vulgaris exposed to heavy metals following standardized growth and photosynthesis inhibition assays was assessed in two different scenarios: (1) dilutions of single heavy metals and (2) an artificial mixture of heavy metals at similar levels as those found in natural rivers. Chemical speciation of heavy metals was estimated with Visual MINTEQ software; free heavy metal ion concentrations were used as input data, together with microalgae growth and photosynthesis inhibition, to compare different effects and explain possible toxicity mechanisms. The final goal was to assess the suitability of the ecotoxicological test based on the growth and photosynthesis inhibition of microalgae cultures, supported by mathematic models for regulatory and decision-making purposes. The C. vulgaris algae growth inhibition test was more sensitive for As, Zn, and Pb exposure whereas the photosynthesis inhibition test was more sensitive for Cu and Ni exposure. The effects on growth and photosynthesis were not related. C. vulgaris evidenced the formation of mucilaginous aggregations at lower copper concentrations. We found that the toxicity of a given heavy metal is not only determined by its chemical speciation; other chemical compounds (as nutrient loads) and biological interactions play an important role in the final toxicity. Predictive mixture effect models tend to overestimate the effects of metal mixtures in C. vulgaris for both growth and photosynthesis inhibition tests. Growth and photosynthesis inhibition tests give complementary information, and both are a fast, cheap, and sensitive alternative to animal testing. More research is needed to solve the challenge of complex pollutant mixtures as they are present in natural environments, where microalgae-based assays can be suitable monitoring tools for pollution management and regulatory purposes.
Thematic Areas: Zootecnia / recursos pesqueiros Serviço social Saúde coletiva Química Public, environmental & occupational health Public health, environmental and occupational health Psicología Pollution Odontología Nutrição Medicina iii Medicina ii Medicina i Materiais Interdisciplinar Health, toxicology and mutagenesis Geografía Geociências Farmacia Environmental studies Environmental sciences Ensino Engenharias ii Engenharias i Enfermagem Educação física Educação Ciências biológicas iii Ciências biológicas ii Ciências biológicas i Ciências ambientais Ciências agrárias i Ciência da computação Biotecnología Biodiversidade Astronomia / física Administração pública e de empresas, ciências contábeis e turismo
licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
Author's mail: vikas.kumar@urv.cat nora.exposito@urv.cat nora.exposito@urv.cat nora.exposito@urv.cat marta.schuhmacher@urv.cat
Author identifier: 0000-0002-9795-5967 0000-0003-4381-2490
Record's date: 2024-07-27
Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
Papper original source: International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health. 18 (3): 1-19
APA: Exposito, Nora; Carafa, Roberta; Kumar, Vikas; Sierra, Jordi; Schuhmacher, Marta; Gimenez Papiol, Gemma; (2021). Performance of Chlorella Vulgaris Exposed to Heavy Metal Mixtures: Linking Measured Endpoints and Mechanisms. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 18(3), 1-19. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18031037
Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Journal publication year: 2021
Publication Type: Journal Publications
Repositori URV