Advanced Search
Understanding the toxic effects of chlortetracyclineandits and its isomer degradation products on Scenedesmus obliquus
Received:July 25, 2018  
View Full Text  View/Add Comment  Download reader
KeyWord:chlortetracycline (CTC);isomers;Scenedesmus obliquus;degradation products;toxicity
Author NameAffiliationE-mail
ZHANG Di Environmental Science and Engineering College of Dong Hua University, State Environmental Protection Engineering Center for Pollution Treatment and Control in Textile Industry, Shanghai 201620, China  
LI Yuan Environmental Science and Engineering College of Dong Hua University, State Environmental Protection Engineering Center for Pollution Treatment and Control in Textile Industry, Shanghai 201620, China  
SHEN Chen-si Environmental Science and Engineering College of Dong Hua University, State Environmental Protection Engineering Center for Pollution Treatment and Control in Textile Industry, Shanghai 201620, China
Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China 
shencs@dhu.edu.cn 
XIAO Dong-xue East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China  
LIU Jian-she Environmental Science and Engineering College of Dong Hua University, State Environmental Protection Engineering Center for Pollution Treatment and Control in Textile Industry, Shanghai 201620, China  
ZHAO Feng Environmental Science and Engineering College of Dong Hua University, State Environmental Protection Engineering Center for Pollution Treatment and Control in Textile Industry, Shanghai 201620, China  
XIONG Ming-yu Jiaxing Environmental Science Research Institute Limited Company, Jiaxing 314100, China  
Hits: 2524
Download times: 1788
Abstract:
      To explore the toxicity of tetracycline antibiotics and their isomeric degradation products in the aqueous environment, chlortetracycline was used as the target compound and Scenedesmus obliquus as the test organism. A study of the growth inhibitors and physiological indicators of the algae was combined with an investigation of the difference in toxicity between chlortetracycline and its isomers. The results showed that the degradation products of chlortetracycline were mainly iso-chlortetracycline and epi-iso-chlortetracycline in the presence of Scenedesmus obliquus. After being exposed to chlortetracycline and its isomeric degradation products for 72 h, the Scenedesmus obliquus experienced plasmolysis and its cell permeability increased significantly. In addition, the difference in toxicity between chlortetracycline and its isomeric degradation products was obvious. In the chlortetracycline treatment, the concentration of soluble protein and chlorophylla in the Scenedesmus obliquus decreased significantly and it underwent serious oxidative damage. Although chlortetracycline and its isomeric degradation products had similar chemical structures, they did not have the same toxic effects on algal cells. This might be due to differences in the conformation of the substituents in chlortetracycline and its isomers, which would cause the drugs to bind to different sites on the proteins in the algal cells. It is hoped that this investigation of the toxic effect of chlortetracycline and its isomeric degradation products on an aquatic organism will be help provide a deeper understanding of the environmental risks of tetracycline antibiotics.