College of Forest Resource and Environment Science, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China.
PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e42285. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042285. Epub 2012 Aug 1.
An aqueous extract of Ephedra equisetina root was found to induce cyanobacterial cell death. The extract displayed no negative effects on the fish populations but instead, improved the habitat conditions for the growth of macrophytes, zooplankton and bacteria because the inhibiting effects of the extracts on cyanobacteria helped clear up the water column. The removal kinetics of cyanobacteria by E. equisetina extract appears to be a first order process with the rate constant being extract-dose-dependent. Compounds including the flavonoids found in E. equisetina root kill the cyanobacteria in vitro at a dose of 5.0 µg extract per 100 mL water or above. The extract constituents act to disrupt the thylakoid membrane, interrupt the electronic transport, decrease the effective quantum yield, and eventually lead to the failure of photosynthesis in Microcystis aeruginosa. This study presents an easily-deployed, natural and promising approach for controlling cyanobacterial blooms as an emergency measure, and also provides insight into the dynamics and mechanism of the extract consisting of multiple compounds synergistically removing algae.
从麻黄根的水提物中发现它能诱导蓝藻细胞死亡。该提取物对鱼类种群没有负面影响，反而改善了大型藻类、浮游动物和细菌的生长环境，因为提取物对蓝藻的抑制作用有助于清理水柱。麻黄根提取物对蓝藻的去除动力学似乎是一个一级过程，速率常数与提取物剂量有关。包括在麻黄根中发现的类黄酮在内的化合物，在 5.0µg 提取物/100mL 水或更高剂量下，在体外就能杀死蓝藻。提取物成分作用于破坏类囊体膜，中断电子传递，降低有效量子产率，最终导致铜绿微囊藻光合作用失败。本研究提出了一种易于实施的、天然的、有前景的控制蓝藻水华的方法，作为一种紧急措施，也为多种化合物协同去除藻类的提取物的动力学和机制提供了深入了解。
