Sensitivity of Chlorella vulgaris to herbicides. Possibility of using it as a biological receptor in biosensors

In the present study the sensitivity of Chlorella vulgaris to herbicides was investigated using polarographic oxygen rate electrode and the Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated (PAM) chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. Data reveal: (i) higher sensitivity of parameters of photosynthetic oxygen evolution (flash induced oxygen yields and oxygen burst under continuous illumination) in comparison to the widely used parameters of the chlorophyll fluorescence; (ii) higher sensitivity of oxygen evolution parameters of Chlorella cells to QB-binding herbicides in comparison to the pea thylakoid membranes; (iii) similar sensitivity of the PAM parameters to herbicides for both Chlorella cells and thylakoid membranes from higher plants. The relationship between the herbicide sensitivity and the kinetic parameters of the oxygen evolution of green algae and higher plants are discussed.