The influence of cationic antiseptics on the processes of light energy conversion in various photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes

Abstract

The widespread use of disinfectants and antiseptics, and consequently their release into the environment, determines the relevance of studying their potential impact on the main producers of organic matter on the planet—photosynthetic organisms. The review examines the effects of some biguanides and quaternary ammonium compounds, octenidine, miramistin, chlorhexidine, and picloxidine, on the functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus of various organisms (Strakhovskaya et al. in Photosynth Res 147:197–209, 2021; Knox et al. in Photosynth Res 153:103, 2022; Paschenko et al. in Photosynth Res 155:93–105, 2023a, Photosynth Res 2023b). A common feature of these antiseptics is the combination of hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions in the molecules, the latter carrying a positive charge(s). The comparison of the results obtained with intact bacterial membrane vesicles (chromatophores) and purified pigment-protein complexes (photosystem II and I) of oxygenic organisms allows us to draw conclusions about the mechanisms of the cationic antiseptic action on the functional properties of the components of the photosynthetic apparatus.