Response of the freshwater alga Chlorella vulgaris to trichloroisocyanuric acid and ciprofloxacin

The effects of trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) and ciprofloxacin (CPFX) on the freshwater alga Chlorella vulgaris were assessed by toxicity bioassays and by the values of biomarkers in phase I and phase II. The biomarkers included growth rate, concentration of chlorophyll a, activities of 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-dealkylases (EROD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), and total glutathione (GSH). Ciprofloxacin was a weaker growth inhibitor than TCCA but, at a concentration of greater than 12.5 mg/L, decreased the growth of C. vulgaris. Concentration of chlorophyll a showed a similar trend. The 96-h median effective concentration (EC50; i.e., 50% reduction in growth relative to the control) of CPFX was 20.6 mg/L. Trichloroisocyanuric acid was a strong growth inhibitor and, at concentrations of greater than 0.80 mg/L, caused 100% inhibition on 24-h exposure. The 96-h EC50 of TCCA was 0.313 mg/L. Ciprofloxacin and TCCA affected the phase I and phase II enzyme activities differently. On exposure to CPFX, both EROD and GSH decreased at low CPFX concentrations ( 12.5 mg/L), and CAT and GST exhibited induction at low concentrations and inhibition at high concentrations. In TCCA exposure, GST activity was significantly stimulated, and GSH concentration was increased. Catalase activity increased only at TCCA concentrations of greater than 0.12 mg/L, and no change in EROD activity was observed.