RT Journal Article
T1 Effect Produced by a Mixture of Phenol, p-Cresol, and Acetophenone on Four Species of Microalgae: Tolerance, Biodegradation, and Metabolic Alterations
A1 Rastrojo Velasco, Juan Manuel
A1 León Bañares, Rosa María
A1 Sayago Gómez, Ana
A1 Fernández Recamales, María Ángeles
A1 Vigara Fernández, Javier
A1 León Vaz, Antonio
AB Phenol-derived compounds are among the most hazardous organic pollutants for aquatic environments due to their relatively high aqueous solubility. Microalgae harbor metabolic pathways that enable the degradation of phenolic compounds into less toxic derivatives, highlighting their potential for the bioremediation of these contaminants. In this study, four microalgal species were evaluated for their tolerance and biodegradation capacity of a mixture of phenolic compounds which include phenol, p-cresol, and acetophenone. The results revealed that Chlorella sorokiniana and Nannochloropsis gaditana could tolerate higher concentrations of the mixture (60, 50, and 25 mg L−1 of phenol, p-cresol, and acetophenone) than Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Tetraselmis chuii (60, 30, and 20 mg L−1 of phenol, p-cresol, and acetophenone). Notably, Tetraselmis chuii could biodegrade these compounds with the highest efficiency (32, 45, and 85% of initial phenol, p-cresol, and acetophenone, respectively) after 72 h of cultivation. In the absence of alternative carbon sources in the medium, Tetraselmis chuii also biodegraded 45, 60, and 51% of initial phenol, p-cresol, and acetophenone, at 72 h, highlighting its potential for bioremediation processes. Finally, the ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and phenol hydrolase enzymatic activities of Tetraselmis chuii were studied in presence of the pollutants, showing increasing activity levels of these enzymes (123, 135, and 173% of control cultures for APX, CAT, and PH, respectively) involved in the antioxidant system and the degradation of phenolic compounds.
PB MDPI
SN 2305-6304 (electrónico)
YR 2025
FD 2025-10
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27227
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27227
LA eng
NO Rastrojo-Velasco, J. M., León, R., Sayago, A., Fernández-Recamales, A., Vigara, J., & León-Vaz, A. (2025). Effect Produced by a Mixture of Phenol, p-Cresol, and Acetophenone on Four Species of Microalgae: Tolerance, Biodegradation, and Metabolic Alterations. Toxics, 13(10), 848. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13100848
NO This work was supported by the University of Huelva and Cepsa Foundation (Cátedra Fundación Cepsa Universidad de Huelva) and by Spanish MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (research grant n◦: JDC2022-049636-I) and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 29 may 2026