Phototoxicity and oxidative stress responses in Daphnia magna under exposure to sulfathiazole and environmental level ultraviolet B irradiation

Detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the oxidant-sensing probe 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate in the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis PCC 7937

The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under simulated solar radiation (UV-B: 0.30Wm(-2), UV-A: 25.70Wm(-2) and PAR: 118.06Wm(-2)) was studied in the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis PCC 7937 using the oxidant-sensing fluorescent probe 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA). DCFH-DA is a nonpolar dye, converted into the polar derivative DCFH by cellular esterases that are nonfluorescent but switched to highly fluorescent DCF when oxidized by intracellular ROS and other peroxides. The images obtained from the fluorescence microscope after 12h of irradiation showed green fluorescence from cells covered with 295, 320 or 395nm cut-off filters, indicating the generation of ROS in all treatments. However, the green/red fluorescence ratio obtained from fluorescence microscopic analysis showed the highest generation of ROS after UV-B radiation in comparison to PAR or UV-A radiation. Production of ROS was also measured by a spectrofluorophotometer and results obtained supported the results of fluorescence microscopy. Low levels of ROS were detected at the start (0h) of the experiment showing that they are generated even during normal metabolism. This study also showed that UV-B radiation causes the fragmentation of the cyanobacterial filaments which could be due to the observed oxidative stress. This is the first report for the detection of intracellular ROS in a cyanobacterium by fluorescence microscopy using DCFH-DA and thereby suggesting the applicability of this method in the study of in vivo generation of ROS.

Implication of global environmental changes on chemical toxicity-effect of water temperature, pH, and ultraviolet B irradiation on acute toxicity of several pharmaceuticals in Daphnia magna

Global environmental change poses emerging environmental health challenges throughout the world. One of such threats could be found in chemical safety in aquatic ecosystem. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of several environmental factors, such as water pH, temperature and ultraviolet light on the toxicity of pharmaceutical compounds in water, using freshwater invertebrate Daphnia magna. Seven pharmaceuticals including ibuprofen, acetaminophen, lincomycin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, chlortetracycline and sulfathiazole were chosen as test compounds based on their frequent detection in water. The experimental conditions of environmental parameters were selected within the ranges that could be encountered in temperate environment, i.e., water temperature (15, 21, and 25 degrees C), pH (7.4, 8.3, and 9.2), and UV-B light intensity (continuous irradiation of 15.0 microW/cm(2)). For acetaminophen, enrofloxacin and sulfathiazole, decrease in water pH generally led to increase of acute lethal toxicity, which could be explained by the unionized fraction of pharmaceuticals. Increase of water temperature enhanced the acute toxicity of the acetaminophen, enrofloxacin and chlortetracycline, potentially due to alteration in toxicokinetics of chemicals as well as impact on physiological mechanisms of the test organism. The presence of UV-B light significantly increased the toxicity of sulfathiazole, which could be explained by photo-modification of this chemical that lead to oxidative stress. Under the UV light, however, acute toxicity of enrofloxacin decreased, which might be due to photo-degradation. Since changing environmental conditions could affect exposure and concentration-response profile of environmental contaminants, such conditions should be identified and evaluated in order to better manage ecosystem health under changing global environment.

Acclimation to ultraviolet irradiation affects UV-B sensitivity of Daphnia magna to several environmental toxicants

Phototoxicity of several environmental contaminants by UV light has been reported in many studies. Nevertheless, field observations suggest the presence of certain defense mechanisms that would protect aquatic organisms against phototoxic damages. The current study was conducted to understand the responses of aquatic receptors to phototoxic chemicals in a natural environment where low dose UV light is present and long-term acclimation to UV might have been taken place. For this purpose, the water flea Daphnia magna was acclimated to a non-lethal, environmentally relevant level of UV-B light for >20 successive generations. The differences in toxicity response were evaluated between the UV-B acclimated and the non-acclimated daphnids when they were exposed to phototoxic compounds such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (fluoranthene and pyrene), a pharmaceutical (sulfathiazole), or metals (Cd and Cu) under UV-B light. Following the UV-B acclimation, toxicity of metals under UV-B light significantly decreased (P<0.1) suggesting the defense/repair system which might be developed through acclimation. For PAHs and sulfathiazole, however the acclimation rendered organisms more susceptible (P<0.05). The metabolic cost incurred during the acclimation to UV-B stress may in part explain the organisms' reduced capacity to deal with other stressors. Addition of vitamin C significantly increased the resistance of UV-B acclimated individuals against Cu, while no change was observed for the other chemicals, suggesting that the mode of Cu phototoxicity is different from those of the other phototoxicants under UV-B light. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analyses showed that long-term acclimation to UV-B lead to notable changes in protein expression, which may be further evaluated to explain varying susceptibilities of the acclimated daphnids to different phototoxicants.