Protection Against Cu(II)-Induced Oxidative Stress and Toxicity to Chlorella vulgaris by 2,2′-Bipyridine-5,5′-dicarboxylic Acid

Abstract

In this study, we evaluated the role of 2,2'-bipyridine-5,5'-dicarboxylic acid (Bpy-COOH) in protecting Chlorella vulgaris from the oxidative stress and toxicity induced by Cu(II). Both in vivo and in vitro tests were performed. Different addition orders of Bpy-COOH and Cu(II) were tried in the former, whereas different Bpy-COOH concentrations were used in both experiments. The in vivo experiments showed that the production of reactive oxygen species in C. pyrenoidosa treated by the addition of Bpy-COOH and Cu(II) in three orders were all significantly less than that in cases treated with only Cu(II). In vitro tests indicated that peroxidase-like complexes could be formed between Bpy-COOH and Cu(II). Based on these results, it could be concluded that the use of Bpy-COOH could significantly decrease Cu(II) toxicity to algal cells by forming peroxidase-like complexes.