Toxic effects of phosphoramidate on Paramecium sp. with special emphasis on respiratory metabolism,growth, and generation time

The toxicological impacts of the increasing number of synthetic compounds present in the aquatic environment are assessed predominantly in laboratory studies where test organisms are exposed to a range of concentrations of single compounds. Protozoan cells are often used as bioindicators for the presence of xenobiotic compounds. In this article, we describe the inhibitory effect of a synthetic phosphoramidate derivative at different concentrations (40, 60, and 80?µmol?L^?1) on Paramecium sp., affecting its growth (proliferation) in concentration-dependent manner, as well as the generation time and response percentage. The LC₅₀ value determined for these protozoa was estimated at 60?µmol?L^?1 on 24?h of exposure. The respiratory metabolism of protozoan is perturbed at three concentrations, noting that the oxygen consumption was significantly increased at high concentrations after 18?h of exposure. In addition, the data can be used as reference values in further testing with other pesticides.