ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Biochemical Activity of Biochanin A in the Green
Alga Chlorella Vulgaris Beijerinck (Chlorophyceae)
R. Czerpak*, A. Piotrowska, M. Wierzbowska
More details
Hide details
Institute of Biology, University of Białystok,
Świerkowa 20 B, 15-950 Białystok, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2003;12(2):163-169
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to investigate the influence of biochanin A (isoflavone characterised by
estrogenic activity) upon the growth expressed as number of cells and the content of chlorophyll a and b,
total carotenoids, reducing sugars, water-soluble proteins and nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) in the unicellular
green alga Chlorella vulgaris, as an experimental model. Biochanin A in a concentration of 10-6 M exerted
the greatest biological activity, principally, on the 6th day of cultivation, whereas during the 9th day of algal
culure it had weak stimulating properties. Under the influence of 10-6 M biochanin A, an increase in the
number of cells to the level of 186% and the content of water-soluble proteins to 255%, reducing sugars to
505%, in comparision with the control culture (taken to be 100%), was observed. Moreover, the content of
DNA was intensively stimulated in the range of 184% and RNA content reached the value 202% in regard
to the control. Among the photosynthetic pigments, stimulation of the content of chlorophyll a to the level
of 191%, chlorophyll b to 180% and total carotenoids to 172%, compared with the control culture of algae
devoid of biochanin A, was recorded.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.