ROS production by metal redoxcycling (MeRC)

Under natural and toxicity test conditions a large part of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other toxic radicals are produced extra-cellularly through light driven MeRC. These radicals transform toxins and are a burden for organisms. Redox active metals play a particularly active role in ROS production, among which iron is the most efficient. On the other hand, toxins as well as organisms (exudates) can interact with MeRC creating a multiple interdependency which can render reliable environmental toxicity testing and risk assessment a difficult task.

Therefore the redox behaviour of photoactive biogenic and anthropogenic metal-com­plexes are investigated in natural and test systems, in order to reveal mechanistic aspects which control MeRC and get a more realistic picture on the interaction between toxins and model organism.