The use of biomarkers in Daphnia magna toxicity testing. III. Rapid toxicity testing of pure chemicals and sediment pore waters using ingestion and digestive enzyme activity

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 37; no. 13; pp. 2677 - 2694
• Main Authors: DE COEN, W. M, VANGHELUWE, M. L, JANSSEN, C. R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier 01.12.1998
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Daphnia magna; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on protozoa and invertebrates; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Bioassay; Toxicity; Cladocera; Biological marker; Digestion; Ingestion; Crustacea; Enzymatic activity; Arthropoda; Water quality; Invertebrata; Branchiopoda; Daphnia magna
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/S0045-6535(98)00154-4

Four rapid (90 minute) toxicity tests were developed using ingestion and digestive enzyme activity of Daphnia magna juveniles. Ingestion activity was assessed using fluorescent labelled latex micro-beads and digestive enzyme activity (trypsin, beta-galactosidase and esterase) was measured in homogenates using chromogenic (N-benzoyl-L-arginine-4-nitroanilide) and fluorogenic (4-methylumbelliferyl-B-D-galactoside and fluorescein diacetate) substrates. There were high correlation coefficients between the short-term toxicity values and the acute toxicity endpoint (24 h EC50) for pure chemicals, suggesting that these biomarker-based assays were good predictors of acute toxicity levels to D. magna. In the sediment pore water toxicity tests, ingestion activity was generally more sensitive than the conventional endpoint, while the enzymatic endpoints were less sensitive than the 24 h immobility criterion. There are 43 references.