Cryoalgotox: Use of cryopreserved alga in a semistatic microplate test

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and chemistry Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 505 - 508
• Main Authors: Benhra, Ali, Radetski, Claudemir Marcos, Férard, Jean-François
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Periodicals, Inc 01-03-1997; SETAC
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Cryopreservation; Ecotoxicology; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Medical sciences; Microbiotest; Selenastrum capricornutum; Techniques; Toxicology; Cadmium; Bioassay; Ecotoxicology; Toxicity; Algae; Chlorophycophyta; Pesticides; Selenastrum capricornutum; Herbicide; Heavy metal; Cryopreservation; Triazine derivatives; Chromium; Copper; Comparative study; Thallophyta; Atrazine
• ISSN: 0730-7268; 1552-8618
• DOI: 10.1002/etc.5620160316

Use of cryopreserved alga Selenastrum capricornutum has been evaluated as a simple and cost‐efficient procedure in a new semistatic algal ecotoxicity test. Experiments have been conducted to compare performance criteria of this method, named Cryoalgotox, versus the classic microplate test using fresh algae. Cryoalgotox 72‐h 50% effective concentrations (EC50s) determined with Cd2+, Cu2+, Cr6+, and atrazine were more sensitive, repeatable (low coefficients of variation), and reproducible (low time effect) than the results obtained with the classical microplate tests. The effect of storage time at −80°C on the sensitivity of the algae was assessed using cadmium as a toxic reference; it was shown that algae stored at −80°C over a 3‐month period gave comparable toxicity results to those found with fresh algae.