Physiological and biochemical responses of Dunaliella salina exposed to acrylamide

In the present study, physiological and biochemical responses of Dunaliella salina exposed to acrylamide were investigated. The indicators were as follows: the growth, photosynthetic pigments, the contents of carbohydrate and protein, antioxidant system of Dunaliella salina . Besides, the ultrastructure and cell cycle distribution were also analyzed. The results showed that acrylamide could significantly inhibit the growth of D. salina ( P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), and reduce the contents of photosynthetic pigments, carbohydrate and protein in D. salina cells. In addition, according to transmission electron microcopy (TEM) and flow cytometry (FCM), acrylamide could change cell ultrastructure and induce G 1 phase arrest in D. salina cells. With the increase of acrylamide concentrations, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in D. salina showed a rise first followed by a decline, whereas malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased sharply ( P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The results suggested that acrylamide was slightly toxic to Dunaliella salina and cause the physiological and biochemical changes. Anti-oxidation and cell cycle arrest may be the defense mechanism of algae responding to acrylamide.