Bioluminescent Toxicity Assay of Polyethylenimine-Based Sorbents

The toxicity of polyethylenimine-based sorbents and their extracts was evaluated, and their effect on the bioluminescence of Photobacterium phosphoreum photobacteria was studied. These test bacteria are commonly used as objects to evaluate the toxicity of various materials. The analyzed materials were synthesized via polyethylenimine (PEI) cross-linking with diethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (DGDE) at mass contents of the latter of 1.9–120.0% with subsequent freezing. It was found that the degree of luminescence inhibition in P. phosphoreum cells depended on the PEI/DGDE ratio in the sorbent. Sorbents with a high DGDE content (60–120%) did not affect the cell luminescence activity, while those with a lower percentage of the cross-linker (0.9–30%) exhibited a pronounced inhibitory effect on luminescence of photobacteria according to the data obtained with the standard biotesting method. It was also established that the inhibitory effect of sorbents with a reduced DGDE percentage (