Assessment of catalase activity, lipid peroxidation, chlorophyll a, and growth rate in the freshwater green algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata exposed to copper and zinc

In this work, the effect of copper and zinc on green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata was evaluated through catalase activity, lipid peroxidation by TBARS essay, growth rate, and the chlorophyll-a concentration. Catalase activity increased significantly ( P < 0.05) in comparison to the control at 0.1 mg L -1 copper and 0.075 mg L -1 zinc, whereas the damage to the cell membrane expressed as nmols/106 cell of malondialdehyde increased significantly ( P < 0.05) at 0.025 mg L -1 copper and 0.1 mg L -1 zinc. On the other hand, a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in chlorophyll-a concentration was found at 0.075 mg L -1 of both metals. The results showed that catalase activity, lipid peroxidation, and chlorophyll-a concentration were more sensitive to metals than the growth rate.