Oxidative damage and antioxidant responses in Microcystis aeruginosa exposed to the allelochemical berberine isolated from golden thread

Berberine, extracted from golden thread (Coptis chinensis Franch), is an allelochemical exhibiting inhibitory effects on the growth of Microcystis aeruginosa. Berberine-induced oxidative damage and antioxidant responses in M. aeruginosa cells were investigated to elucidate the mechanisms involved in berberine inhibition on algal growth. Malondialdehyde content in M. aeruginosa cells exposed to berberine increased with increased exposure concentration and the prolongation of exposure time. The same changes were observed in O2− activity of M. aeruginosa cells exposed to berberine. Berberine upregulated superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity at low concentrations while downregulating it at high concentrations. SOD activity transitioned from an increase to a decrease from 0 to 72 h exposure to 0.10% berberine. We observed that berberine exposure increased glutathione content in M. aeruginosa cells. The results suggested that berberine-induced oxidative damage might be at least partially responsible for berberine inhibition on M. aeruginosa growth.