Ecotoxicology and Chemometrics Lab/Institute of Environmental Sciences

The ecotoxicology laboratory carries out integrated research where in vivo and in silico studies converge. Currently, the research focus of the lab is to a) determine the toxicities of organic/inorganic chemicals, treated and untreated effluents and mixtures on cultures of freshwater and marine algae (Chlorella vulgaris, Dunaliella tertiolecta, respectively) and b) to develop validated quantitative structure-toxicity relationship models to predict the toxicity of untested chemicals. All studies are conducted according to the recent EC directive and OECD guidelines. (The tests are performed according to EC method C.3/OECD 201) – Progress in growth (number of cells, growth rate and yield) are the observation parameters.

The laboratory was founded by Prof. Dr. Melek Türker Saçan in 2003. At present, the toxicology lab houses 4 PhD and two master students. The laboratory is situated at the Hisar campus, BoğaziçiUniversity in Istanbul. The labs are situated within the laboratory facilities of Environmental Sciences Institute.

Instruments include: Temperature controlled growth chamber, UV-Vis spectrophotometer, spectrofluorimeter, a research grade light microscope, oven, and a centrifuge machine, high speed centrifuge

Licensed Software used in the lab

Algae form the base of food webs and they provide food for higher trophic levels and produce oxygen which is vital for the sustainability of life in aquatic environments. Therefore, the disruption of sensitive algal populations might lead to a biomagnified response in higher levels of the aquatic food chain. Therefore, toxicity evaluation of chemicals on algae might serve as an early indicator of a potential ecosystem failure.

In the ecotoxicology lab, currently two different species are used in toxicity assays: marine alga Dunaliella tertiolecta and freshwater alga Chlorella vulgaris.

Quantitative structure toxicity relationships

Considering the huge number of chemicals in use, it is almost impossible to determine the toxicity of each chemical in laboratory. However, using data generated in the lab, it is possible to uncover patterns in the chemical space through computational models.

A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) is a mathematical model that relates a quantitative measure of chemical structure (e.g. a physicochemical property) to a physical property or to a biological effect (e.g. a toxicological endpoint).

For more information about the activities of the laboratory, please contact 

Prof. Dr. Melek Türker Saçan (msacan@boun.edu.tr) and website (web.boun.edu.tr/msacan/)