Physiological effects of tetracycline antibiotic pollutants on non-target aquatic Microcystis aeruginosa

This study aimed to evaluate the aquatic toxicity of three typical tetracycline antibiotics, including tetracycline, oxytetracycline, and chlortetracycline, on the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. The cell density, chlorophyll a content, protein content, and enzymatic antioxidant activities were determined. The results showed that the cell growth was significantly inhibited by the three compounds at a low concentration. The chlorophyll a and protein content decreased significantly after exposure to 0.05 mg L^?1 of each compound for 9 d. When exposed to 0.2–1 mg L^?1 of tetracycline, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased, but peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities decreased. In contrast, when exposed to oxytetracycline and chlortetracycline at different concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 1 mg L^?1 and from 0.01 to 0.05 mg L^?1, the SOD activity decreased, but the POD and CAT activities increased. These findings indicate that tetracycline antibiotics influence cell growth and protein synthesis, and they also induce oxidative stress in M. aeruginosa at environmentally similar concentrations. Thus, this study may provide further insights into the toxic effects of tetracycline antibiotics and the controlled use of antibiotics.