Abstract

Recently, successive crude oil spillages have occurred central Chile coasts in the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 and the negative effect on the marine ecosystem is still evident, since persistent oil-derived compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) remain in the soil and organic substrates for years. With the aim to find macroalgae able to remove from the environment and to metabolize PAHs, the Ulva genus was chosen since it is well-known for its tolerance to abiotic stresses, such as metal excess. In this regard, the alga Ulva lactuca presented higher tolerance to the compounds benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and anthracene (Ant) up to 10 µM for 10 days, than the other related alga in this zone, U. compressa. B[a]P and Ant this are two of the most toxic PAHs described by the Environmental Protection Agency of USA. PAHs also induced oxidative stress in U. lactuca, which releases hydrogen peroxide with peaks at 30 min, 3, 6 and 8 h and then descending to control level at 12 h, suggesting the activation of an efficient antioxidant system in response to PAHs. Financed by CONICYT project PAI79170105.