Variations of polyphenols and carbohydrates of Emiliania huxleyi grown under simulated ocean acidification conditions

Cultures of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi were grown under four different CO2-controlled pH conditions (7.75, 7.90, 8.10, and 8.25) to explore variations in extra- and intracellular polyphenols and carbohydrates in response to different ocean acidification scenarios. Acidification did not significantly affect final cell densities and carbohydrate contents. Intra- and extracellular phenolic compounds were identified and quantified by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), with the highest concentrations of total exuded phenolics at a pH of 8.25 (43 ± 3 nM) and 7.75 (18.0 ± 0.9 nM). Accumulation of intracellular phenolic compounds was observed in cells with decreasing pH, reaching the maximum level (9.24 ± 0.19 attomole per cell) at the lowest pH (7.75). The phenolic profiles presented significant changes in exuded epicatechin and protocatechuic acid (p < 0.05 and 0.01, respectively) and intracellular vanillic acid (p < 0.001), which play an essential role in the availability of trace metals. A significant increase in chlorophyll a content was observed in cells grown at the most acidic pH (p < 0.01), which also showed significantly higher radical inhibition activity (p < 0.01). The nature and concentration of these organic compounds present in the culture medium may influence trace metal bioavailability, affecting the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and microbial functional diversity.