Practical application of galvanotaxis of ciliated protozoan cells to automation of acute toxicity assay

One of the most negative impacts of human activity on ecosystems is extensive environmental pollution. Large territories are polluted by different chemicals, which poses threat to any agricultural activity, not to speak of unhealthy life in such places. Thus, studying and developing express bioassay methods for risk assessment of chemical substances and aqueous media are now one of the most important problems in biotechnology. These bioassay methods can be used to success in ecology, agriculture, food industry, medicine, etc. In this paper we propose a method for automation of an acute toxicity assay. This method is based on the ability of Paramecium caudatum cells to move toward the cathode under a DC electric field.