SUBSTANTIATION OF THR USE OF BIOTECHNOLOGICAL TEST SYSTEM BASED ON PARAMECIUM CAUDATUM FOR CONTROL OF TOXICITY AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

Abstract

Development of effective rapid methods of biotesting is a relevant objective of modern biotechnology. Biotesting consists in recording the differences in test-objects survival or capability for reproduction of them in test and control samples. The advantages of biotesting are rapidity and simplicity of the study. A number of organisms of natural ecosystem (plants and animals, unicellular and multicellular organisms) are used as test-objects. Paramecium caudatum is an unicellular infusoria widely used as test-object due to high sensitivity to environmental changes; big cell size, which makes it possible to monitor changes in morphology and mobility of the cells; easy cultivation. These characteristics of Paramecium caudatum facilitate the application of them in fundamental research, in the field of environmental control, as well as in toxicity assessment of industrial products. The toxicity degree of investigated substances on Paramecium caudatum can be easily evaluated well before the cell death by various cell responses (changes in morphology and mobility). Application of this model in pharmacy is promising. The use of Paramecium caudatum for initial assessment of biological activity of antioxidant preparations makes it possible to solve bioethical issues related to the use of laboratory animals. The model has been shown to be effective in studying the antioxidant activity of liposomal preparations. It was found that the lipid composition of the liposomal preparations affects the survival of the culture. The antioxidant activity of the investigated preparations at a dose of 50 μg/ml increased as follows ubiquinone<curcumin<quercetin.