Biochemical alterations in duckweed and algae induced by carrier solvents: Selection of an appropriate solvent in toxicity testing.
Carrier solvents are often used in aquatic toxicity testing for test chemicals with hydrophobic properties. However, the knowledge of solvent effects on test organisms remains limited. The present study aimed to determine the biochemical effects of the 4 common solvents methanol, ethanol, acetone, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on 2 test species, Lemna minor and Raphidocelis subcapitata, by applying Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) coupled with multivariate analysis to select appropriate solvents for toxicity testing. The results showed biochemical variations associated with solvent treatments at different doses on test species. From the infrared spectra obtained, the structures of lipid membrane and protein phosphorylation in the test species were found to be sensitive to the solvents. Methanol and ethanol mainly affected the protein secondary structure, whereas acetone and DMSO primarily induced alterations in carbohydrates and proteins in the test species. The FTIR results demonstrated that methanol and ethanol showed higher biochemical alterations in the test species than acetone and DMSO, especially at the high doses (0.1 and 1% v/v). Based on the growth inhibition displayed and FTIR spectroscopy, acetone, and DMSO can be used as carrier solvents in toxicity testing when their doses are lower than 0.1% v/v. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2631-2639. © 2017 SETAC.
State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Li-Xin
LX
Hu
State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
Fei
F
Tian
School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom.
Francis L
FL
Martin
State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.|The Environmental Research Institute, MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Theoretical Chemistry, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
Guang-Guo
GG
Ying
D000096:Acetone / Q000633:toxicity; D029064:Araceae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000633:toxicity; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity; D000432:Methanol / Q000633:toxicity; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D018675:Toxicity Tests
D012997:Solvents; D000096:Acetone; D000431:Ethanol; D000432:Methanol; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide
Biochemical fingerprint; Carrier solvent; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; Toxicity test