Algal toxicity induced by effluents from textile-dyeing wastewater treatment plants

This research aimed to evaluate the alga Scenedesmus obliquus toxicity induced by textiledyeing effluents(TDE).The toxicity indicator of TDE in alga at the physiological(algal growyth),biochemical(chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) synthesis and superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity) and structural(cell membrane integrity) level were investigated.Then we further study the relationship among toxicity indicators at physiological and biochemical level,and supplemented by research on algal biomacromolecules.According to the analysis of various endpoints of the alga,the general sensitivity sequence of toxicity endpoints of Scenedesmus obliquus was:SOD activity Chl-a synthesis algal growth.The stimulation rate of SOD activity increased from day 3(57.25%～83.02%) to day 6(57.25%～103.81%),and then decreased on day 15(-4.23%～-32.96%),which indicated that the antioxidant balance system of the algal cells was destroyed.The rate of Chl-a synthesis inhibition increased gradually,reaching19.70%～79.39% on day 15,while the rate of growth inhibition increased from day 3(-12.90%～10.16%) to day 15(-21.27%～72.46%).Moreover,the algal growth inhibition rate was positively correlated with the inhibition rate of SOD activity or Chl-a synthesis,with the correlation coefficients were 0.6713 and 0.5217,respectively.Algal cells would be stimulating to produce excessive reactive oxygen species,which would cause peroxidation in the cells,thereby destroying chloroplasts,inhibiting chlorophyll synthesis and reducing photosynthesis.With increasing exposure time,irreversible damage to algae can lead to death.This study is expected to enhance our understanding of the ecological risks through algal tests caused by TDE.     

Metabolism of the Nonylphenol Isomer [Ring-U-14c]-4-(3′,5′-Dimethyl-3′-Heptyl)-Phenol by Cell Suspension Cultures of Agrostemma githago and Soybean

Abstract

The biotransformation of the nonylphenol isomer [ring-U-¹⁴C]-4-(3′,5′-dimethyl-3′-heptyl)-phenol (4-353-NP, consisting of two diastereomers) was studied in soybean and Agrostemma githago cell suspension cultures. With the A. githago cells, a batch two-liquid-phase system (medium/n-hexadecane 200:1, v/v) was used, in order to produce higher concentrations and amounts of 4-353-NP metabolites for their identification; 4-353-NP was applied via the n-hexadecane phase. Initial concentrations of [¹⁴C]-4-353-NP were 1 mg L^?1 (soybean), and 5 and 10 mg L^?1 (A. githago). After 2 (soybean) and 7 days (A. githago) of incubation, the applied 4-353-NP was transformed almost completely by both plant species to four types of products: glycosides of parent 4-353-NP, glycosides of primary 4-353-NP metabolites, nonextractable residues and unknown, possibly polymeric materials detected in the media. The latter two products emerged especially in soybean cultures. Portions of primary metabolites amounted to 19–22% (soybean) and 21–42% of applied ¹⁴C (A. githago). After liberation from their glycosides, the primary 4-353-NP metabolites formed by A. githago were isolated by HPLC and examined by GC-EIMS as trimethylsilyl derivatives. In the chromatograms, eight peaks were detected which due to their mass spectra, could be traced back to 4-353-NP. Seven of the compounds were side-chain monohydroxylated 4-353-NP metabolites, while the remaining was a (side-chain) carboxylic acid derivative. Unequivocal identification of the sites of hydroxylation/oxidation of all transformation products was not possible. The main primary metabolites produced by A. githago were supposed to be four diastereomers of 6′-hydroxy-4-353-NP (about 80% of all products identified). It was concluded that plants contribute to the environmental degradation of the xenoestrogen nonylphenol; the toxicological properties of side-chain hydroxylated nonylphenols remain to be examined.     

Metabolic diversity of the heterotrophic microorganisms and potential link to pollution of the Rouge River

The heterotrophic microbial communities of the Rouge River were tracked using Biolog Ecoplates to understand the metabolic diversity at different temporal and spatial scales, and potential link to river pollution. Site less impacted by anthrophogenic sources (site 1), showed markedly lower metabolic diversity. The only substrates that were utilized in the water samples were carbohydrates. Sites more impacted by anthrophogenic sources (sites 8 and 9) showed higher metabolic diversity. Higher functional diversity was linked to the physico-chemical and biological properties of the water samples (i.e. higher concentrations of DO, DOC, chlorophyll, and bacterial density). Biolog analysis was found to be useful in differentiating metabolic diversity between microbial communities; in determining factors that most influence the separation of communities; and in identifying which substrates were most utilized by the communities. It can also be used as an effective ecological indicator of changes in river function attributable to urbanization and pollution.     

Gasoline-derived methyl tert-butyl ether as a potential obesogen linked to metabolic syndrome

正The power and efficiency of gasoline engines is often improved through the use of fuel with high octane ratings.The octane rating of fuel could be further increased with oxygenate additives such as alcohols and ethers, with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) being one of the most common gasoline additives. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease     

Microbial biomass yield and turnover in soil biodegradation tests: carbon substrate effects

Most of the standardized biodegradation tests used to assess the ultimate biodegradation of environmentally degradable polymers are based solely on the determination of net evolved carbon dioxide. However, under aerobic conditions, it has to be considered that heterotrophic microbial consortia metabolize carbon substrates both to carbon dioxide and in the production of new cell biomass. It is generally accepted that in the relatively short term, 50% of the carbon content of most organic substrates is converted to CO₂, with the remaining carbon being assimilated as biomass or incorporated into humus. The latter is particularly important when the metabolism of the organic matter occurs in a soil environment. A straightforward relationship between the free-energy content of a carbon substrate (expressed as the standard free-energy of combustion) and its propensity for conversion to new microbial biomass rather than mineralization to CO₂ has been established. This can potentially lead to underestimation of biodegradation levels of test compounds, especially when they consist of carbon in a fairly low formal oxidation state and relatively high free-energy content. In the present work, the metabolism of different kind of carbon substrates, especially in soil, is reviewed and compared with our own experimental results from respirometric tests. The results show that conversion of highly oxidized materials, such as the commonly used reference materials, cellulose or starch, to CO₂ may be significantly overestimated. The addition of glucosidic material to soil leads to greatly increased respiration and is accompanied by a very low conversion to biomass or humic substances. In contrast, relatively less oxidized substrates metabolize more slowly to give both CO₂ and biomass to an extent which may be significantly underestimated if glucosidic materials are used as the reference. The need for an overall carbon balance taking into account both the carbon immobilized as biomass and that volatized as CO₂ must be considered in standard respirometric procedures for assessing the biodegradability of slowly degrading macromolecules.     

Anaerobic phenanthrene biodegradation with four kinds of electron acceptors enriched from the same mixed inoculum and exploration of metabolic pathways

Anaerobic phenanthrene biodegradation enriched process was described in detail. The enriched bacterial communities were characterized under four redox conditions. The enriched archaeal communities were stated under high percentage conditions. Relatively intact pathways of anaerobic phenanthrene biodegradation were proposed. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread and persistent contaminants worldwide, especially in environments devoid of molecular oxygen. For lack of molecular oxygen, researchers enhanced anaerobic zones PAHs biodegradation by adding sulfate, bicarbonate, nitrate, and iron. However, microbial community reports of them were limited, and information of metabolites was poor except two-ring PAH, naphthalene. Here, we reported on four phenanthrene-degrading enrichment cultures with sulfate, bicarbonate, nitrate, and iron as electron acceptors from the same initial inoculum. The high-to-low order of the anaerobic phenanthrene biodegradation rate was the nitrate-reducing conditions>sulfate-reducing conditions>methanogenic conditions>iron-reducing conditions. The dominant bacteria populations were Desulfobacteraceae, Anaerolinaceae, and Thermodesulfobiaceae under sulfate-reducing conditions; Moraxellaceae, Clostridiaceae, and Comamonadaceae under methanogenic conditions; Rhodobacteraceae, Planococcaceae, and Xanthomonadaceae under nitrate-reducing conditions; and Geobacteraceae, Carnobacteriaceae, and Anaerolinaceae under iron-reducing conditions, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that bacteria populations of longtime enriched cultures with four electron acceptors all obtained significant changes from original inoculum, and bacterial communities were similar under nitrate-reducing and iron-reducing conditions. Archaea accounted for a high percentage under iron-reducing and methanogenic conditions, and Methanosarcinaceae and Methanobacteriaceae, as well as Methanobacteriaceae, were the dominant archaea populations under iron-reducing and methanogenic conditions. The key steps of phenanthrene biodegradation under four reducing conditions were carboxylation, further ring system reduction, and ring cleavage.     

Increased energy expenditure due to increased territorial defense in male lizards after phenotypic manipulation

Fitness tradeoffs are difficult to examine because many fitness variables are correlated and vary in the same direction. Phenotypic manipulation circumvents many of these difficulties, and here we used this technique to examine mechanisms for tradeoffs between increased aggression (territorial defense) and survivorship. The behavioral phenotype of male mountain spiny lizards (Sceloporus jarrovi) was manipulated with testosterone to increase territorial defense, a sexually selected trait. We previously demonstrated that increased territorial defense results in a decrease in survival caused by a lower ratio of energy intake to energy expenditure. Here we measured energy consumption of increased territorial aggression using the doubly labeled water technique in the field and compared males with and without testosterone implants (Fig. 1). In a supplementary study we measured standard metabolic rate using captive lizards given similar testosterone implants to examine if an increase in energy expenditure was a result of only an increase in standard metabolic rate (Fig. 3). Our results indicated that a primary contribution to tradeoffs between increased territorial defense and survivorship could be made by a 31% increase in energy expenditure in the field that is not due to an increase in standard metabolic rate.     

New insights into different surfactants’ impacts on sludge fermentation: Focusing on the particular metabolic processes and microbial genetic traits

• The promoting effects for VFA generation follow the order of APG>SDBS>HTAB. • Surfactants improve the WAS solubilization/hydrolysis and acidification processes. • The VFA promotion is associated with surfactants’ distinctive characteristics. • Surfactants induce the enrichment of functional bacteria for VFA biosynthesis. • The vital genes for substrates delivery, metabolism, and VFA yields are upregulated. Surfactants were expected to exhibit positive effects on the waste activated sludge (WAS) disposal. However, the systematic comparison of different categories of surfactants on the WAS fermentation and the functional mechanisms, especially microbial metabolic traits, have not yet been precisely explored. This study revealed the positive effects of different surfactants on the volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, which followed the order of alkyl polysaccharides (APG)>sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS)>hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HTAB). Mechanistic exploration found that the presence of different surfactants improved solubilization and hydrolysis steps, and then contributed to the subsequent acidification with different efficiencies. The functional microorganisms associated with VFA generation were enriched in surfactant-conditioned reactors. Metagenomic analysis further indicated that the key genes involved in the particular process of VFA generation were over-expressed. The simultaneous bioavailable substrate improvement, functional bacterial enrichment, and metabolic activity upregulation induced by different surfactants jointly contributed to VFA promotion during WAS fermentation. This study could provide a comprehensive realization of surfactants’ impacts on the WAS fermentation process, and more importantly, it reminded the public to discern the distinct interplaying effects induced by different chemicals in regulating the WAS disposal and resource recovery.     

Water-dispersible nano-pollutions reshape microbial metabolism in type-specific manners: A metabolic and bacteriological investigation in Escherichia coli

• Water-dispersible nano-pollutions exhibit type-specific toxic effects on E. coli. • Global metabolite profiling was used to characterize metabolic disruption patterns. • Key dysregulated metabolites responsive to nano-pollution exposures were found. • Amino acid metabolism and purine metabolism are perturbed at nano-pollutions. Incomplete separation and recycling of nanoparticles are causing undesirable nanopollution and thus raising great concerns with regard to nanosafety. Since microorganisms are important regulator of physiological processes in many organisms, the interaction between nanopollution and microbial metabolomics and the resultant impact on the host’s health are important but unclear. To investigate how typical nanopollution perturbs microbial growth and metabolism, Escherichia coli (E. coli) in vitro was treated with six water-dispersible nanomaterials (nanoplastic, nanosilver, nano-TiO₂, nano-ZnO, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), carbon dots (CDs)) at human-/environment-relevant concentration levels. The nanomaterials exhibited type-specific toxic effects on E. coli growth. Global metabolite profiling was used to characterize metabolic disruption patterns in the model microorganism exposed to different nanopollutants. The percentage of significant metabolites (p<0.05, VIP>1) accounted for 6%–38% of the total 293 identified metabolites in each of the nanomaterial-contaminated bacterial groups. Metabolic results also exhibited significant differences between different nanopollutants and dose levels, revealing type-specific and untypical concentration-dependent metabolic responses. Key metabolites responsive to nanopollution exposures were mainly involved in amino acid and purine metabolisms, where 5, 4, and 7 significant metabolic features were included in arginine and proline metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and purine metabolism, respectively. In conclusion, this study horizontally compared and demonstrated how typical nanopollution perturbs microbial growth and metabolomics in a type-specific manner, which broadens our understanding of the ecotoxicity of nanopollutants on microorganisms.