title: Toxicity of atrazine and its bioaccumulation and biodegradation in a green microalga, Chlamydomonas mexicana.
abstract: This study evaluated the toxicity of herbicide atrazine, along with its bioaccumulation and biodegradation in the green microalga Chlamydomonas mexicana. At low concentration (10 μg L(-1)), atrazine had no profound effect on the microalga, while higher concentrations (25, 50, and 100 μg L(-1)) imposed toxicity, leading to inhibition of cell growth and chlorophyll a accumulation by 22 %, 33 %, and 36 %, and 13 %, 24 %, and 27 %, respectively. Atrazine 96-h EC50 for C. mexicana was estimated to be 33 μg L(-1). Microalga showed a capability to accumulate atrazine in the cell and to biodegrade the cell-accumulated atrazine resulting in 14-36 % atrazine degradation at 10-100 μg L(-1). Increasing atrazine concentration decreased the total fatty acids (from 102 to 75 mg g(-1)) and increased the unsaturated fatty acid content in the microalga. Carbohydrate content increased gradually with the increase in atrazine concentration up to 15 %. This study shows that C. mexicana has the capability to degrade atrazine and can be employed for the remediation of atrazine-contaminated streams.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Wonju, 220-710, South Korea.
authors.forename: Akhil N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Kabra
authors.forename: Min-Kyu
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Jaewon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jung Rae
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sanjay P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Govindwar
authors.forename: Byong-Hun
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Jeon
mesh_terms: D001280:Atrazine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002696:Chlamydomonas / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000077194:Chlorophyll A; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D006540:Herbicides / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D006540:Herbicides; D002734:Chlorophyll; D001280:Atrazine; D000077194:Chlorophyll A