Response of Coccomyxa cimbrica sp.nov. to Increasing Doses of Cu(II) as a Function of Time: Comparison between Exposure in a Microfluidic Device or with Standard Protocols

Abstract

In this study, we explore how the in vitro conditions chosen to cultivate and observe the long-term (up to 72 h) toxic effect of Cu(II) on the freshwater microalga Coccomyxa cimbrica sp.nov. can affect the dose response in time. We test three different cultivation protocols: (i) under static conditions in sealed glass cells, (ii) in a microfluidic device, where the sample is constantly circulated with a peristaltic pump, and (iii) under continuous agitation in plastic falcons on an orbital shaker. The advantage and novelty of this study resides in the fact that each condition can mimic different environmental conditions that alga cells can find in nature. The effect of increasing dose of Cu(II) as a function of time (24, 48, and 72 h) is monitored following chlorophyll a fluorescence intensity from single cells. Fluorescence lifetime imaging experiments are also explored to gain information on the changes induced by Cu(II) in the photosynthetic cycle of this microalga.

Fluorescent Materials with Excellent Biocompatibility and Their Application in Bio-Sensing, Bio-Imaging

“…Biocompatibility is the top priority when fluorescent materials are used in bio-fields; a great number of biocompatible fluorescent materials (BFMs) have been obtained, such as organic small-molecule dyes, fluorescent conjugated polymers, metal nanoclusters, rare earth ion-based nanoparticles (e.g., rare-earth-doped upconversion nanoparticles), quantum dots, carbon nanomaterials (e.g., carbon nanotubes and carbon nanodots) and various fluorescent proteins. This Special Issue, "Fluorescent Materials with Excellent Biocompatibility and Their Application in Bio-Sensing, Bio-Imaging", includes twelve research articles covering biosensors based on ion sensors, the detection of pathological oxidative stress and disease detection [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], as well as four review articles focused on different types of fluorescent probes and biological applications [13][14][15][16].…”

“…This supramolecular system has excellent selectivity for Hg 2+ , and the detection limit is 7.17 × 10 −7 M [9]. Three works reported on biosensors for the detection of Cu 2+ , which are capable of monitoring the amount of Cu 2+ in cells [10][11][12][13].…”