Effects of four antibiotics on the photosynthetic light reactions in the green alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa

Antibiotics are ubiquitously present in aquatic environments, posing a serious ecological risk to aquatic ecosystems. However, the effects of antibiotics on the photosynthetic light reactions of freshwater algae and the underlying mechanisms are relatively less understood. In this study, the effects of 4 representative antibiotics (clarithromycin, enrofloxacin, tetracycline, and sulfamethazine) on a freshwater alga (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) and the associated mechanisms, primarily focusing on key regulators of the photosynthetic light reactions, were evaluated. Algae were exposed to different concentrations of clarithromycin (0.0–0.3 mg/L), enrofloxacin (0.0–30.0 mg/L), tetracycline (0.0–10.0 mg/L), and sulfamethazine (0.0–50.0 mg/L) for 7 days. The results showed that the 4 antibiotics inhibited the growth, the photosynthetic pigment contents, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes. In addition, exposure to clarithromycin caused a 118.4 % increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels at 0.3 mg/L. Furthermore, the transcripts of genes for the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - dependent chloroplast proteases (ftsH and clpP), genes in photosystem II (psbA, psbB, and psbC), genes related to ATP synthase (atpA, atpB, and atpH), and petA (related to cytochrome b6/f complex) were altered by clarithromycin. This study contributes to a better understanding of the risk of antibiotics on primary producers in aquatic environment. [Display omitted] •The sensitivities of Chlorella pyrenoidosa to 4 antibiotics were ranked based on 96 h-EC20.•The growth and the photosynthetic pigment contents of C. pyrenoidosa were inhibited.•Clarithromycin had the most pronounced effects on the antioxidant physiology in C. pyrenoidosa.•Four antibiotics interfered with the transcripts related to the photosynthetic light reactions differently.