Envisaging the role of pharmaceutical contaminant 17-β estradiol on growth and lipid productivity of marine diatom Chaetoceros gracilis. (February 2022) - Singh, Pankaj Kumar
Graphical abstract: Highlights: Marine diatom C. gracilis exhibits growth in presence of contaminant estradiol. Treated cultures showed higher biomass productivity and increase in cell number. Enhanced production of bound and soluble exopolysaccharides at stationary phase. Increment in carotenoids, protein and fucoxanthin than control. Abstract: In the recent past, the presence of steroid hormones in marine bodies has led to the eruption of endocrine - disrupting molecules which have detrimental effects on aquatic life. However, the resilience and robustness of diatoms to adsorb and grow under the multitude of nutrient stress allow them to utilize the plethora of such compounds. Hence, in this study, we have implemented this unique ability of diatoms to sustain on simulated steroidal wastewater made of estradiol pills and analyze their corresponding impact on growth, biomass production, and lipid synthesis. We hereby report that with an increasing concentration of estradiol (0.5–2.0 mg L −1 ) there was an increment in cell numbers, and a 1.5-fold increase in the dry cell weight and lipid content (up to 29.5% DW). Thus, culturing Chaetoceros gracilis in the optimized media had a significant impact on biomass productivity which could further promote the untapped potential of diatoms.