scholarly journals Impact of reactive surfaces on the abiotic reaction between nitrite and ferrous iron and associated nitrogen and oxygen isotope dynamics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Neva Visser ◽  
Scott D. Wankel ◽  
Pascal A. Niklaus ◽  
James M. Byrne ◽  
Andreas A. Kappler ◽  
...  

Abstract. Anaerobic nitrate-dependent Fe(II) oxidation (NDFeO) is widespread in various aquatic environments, and plays a major role in iron and nitrogen redox dynamics. However, evidence for truly enzymatic, autotrophic NDFeO remains limited, with alternative explanations involving coupling of heterotrophic denitrification with abiotic oxidation of structurally-bound or aqueous Fe(II) by reactive intermediate N species (chemodenitrification). The extent to which chemodenitrification is caused, or enhanced, by ex vivo surface catalytic effects has, so far, not been directly quantified. To determine whether the presence of either a Fe(II)-bearing mineral or dead biomass (DB) catalyses chemodenitrification, two different sets of anoxic batch experiment were conducted: 2 mM Fe(II) was added to a low-phosphate medium, resulting in the precipitation of vivianite (Fe3(PO4)2), to which later 2 mM nitrite (NO2−) were added, with or without an autoclaved cell suspension (~ 1.96 × 108 cells ml−1) of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Concentrations of nitrite, nitrous oxide (N2O) and iron (Fe2+, Fetot) were monitored over time to assess the impact of Fe(II) minerals and/or DB as catalysts of chemodenitrification in the two setups. In addition, the natural-abundance isotope ratios of NO2− and N2O (𝛿15N and 𝛿18O) were analysed to constrain associated isotope effects. Up to 90 % of the Fe(II) was oxidized in the presence of DB, while only ~ 65 % were oxidized under mineral-only conditions, suggesting an overall lower reactivity of the mineral-only setup. Similarly, the average NO2− reduction rate (0.004 ± 0.003 mmol L−1 day−1) in the mineral-only experiments was much lower compared to experiments with mineral plus dead biomass (0.053 ± 0.013 mmol L−1 day−1), as was N2O production (204.02 ± 60.29 nmol/L*day). The N2O yield per mole NO2− reduced was higher in the mineral-only setups (4 %) compared to the experiments with dead biomass (1 %), suggesting the catalysis-dependent differential formation of NO. N-NO2− isotope ratio measurements indicated a clear difference between both experimental conditions: in contrast to the marked 15N isotope enrichment during active NO2− reduction (−15εNO2 = +10.3 ‰) observed in the presence of DB, NO2− loss in the mineral-only experiments exhibited only a small N isotope effect (

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (16) ◽  
pp. 4355-4374
Author(s):  
Anna-Neva Visser ◽  
Scott D. Wankel ◽  
Pascal A. Niklaus ◽  
James M. Byrne ◽  
Andreas A. Kappler ◽  
...  

Abstract. Anaerobic nitrate-dependent Fe(II) oxidation (NDFeO) is widespread in various aquatic environments and plays a major role in iron and nitrogen redox dynamics. However, evidence for truly enzymatic, autotrophic NDFeO remains limited, with alternative explanations involving the coupling of heterotrophic denitrification with the abiotic oxidation of structurally bound or aqueous Fe(II) by reactive intermediate nitrogen (N) species (chemodenitrification). The extent to which chemodenitrification is caused (or enhanced) by ex vivo surface catalytic effects has not been directly tested to date. To determine whether the presence of either an Fe(II)-bearing mineral or dead biomass (DB) catalyses chemodenitrification, two different sets of anoxic batch experiments were conducted: 2 mM Fe(II) was added to a low-phosphate medium, resulting in the precipitation of vivianite (Fe3(PO4)2), to which 2 mM nitrite (NO2-) was later added, with or without an autoclaved cell suspension (∼1.96×108 cells mL−1) of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Concentrations of nitrite (NO2-), nitrous oxide (N2O), and iron (Fe2+, Fetot) were monitored over time in both set-ups to assess the impact of Fe(II) minerals and/or DB as catalysts of chemodenitrification. In addition, the natural-abundance isotope ratios of NO2- and N2O (δ15N and δ18O) were analysed to constrain the associated isotope effects. Up to 90 % of the Fe(II) was oxidized in the presence of DB, whereas only ∼65 % of the Fe(II) was oxidized under mineral-only conditions, suggesting an overall lower reactivity of the mineral-only set-up. Similarly, the average NO2- reduction rate in the mineral-only experiments (0.004±0.003 mmol L−1 d−1) was much lower than in the experiments with both mineral and DB (0.053±0.013 mmol L−1 d−1), as was N2O production (204.02±60.29 nmol L−1 d−1). The N2O yield per mole NO2- reduced was higher in the mineral-only set-ups (4 %) than in the experiments with DB (1 %), suggesting the catalysis-dependent differential formation of NO. N-NO2- isotope ratio measurements indicated a clear difference between both experimental conditions: in contrast to the marked 15N isotope enrichment during active NO2- reduction (15εNO2=+10.3 ‰) observed in the presence of DB, NO2- loss in the mineral-only experiments exhibited only a small N isotope effect (<+1 ‰). The NO2--O isotope effect was very low in both set-ups (18εNO2 <1 ‰), which was most likely due to substantial O isotope exchange with ambient water. Moreover, under low-turnover conditions (i.e. in the mineral-only experiments as well as initially in experiments with DB), the observed NO2- isotope systematics suggest, transiently, a small inverse isotope effect (i.e. decreasing NO2- δ15N and δ18O with decreasing concentrations), which was possibly related to transitory surface complexation mechanisms. Site preference (SP) of the 15N isotopes in the linear N2O molecule for both set-ups ranged between 0 ‰ and 14 ‰, which was notably lower than the values previously reported for chemodenitrification. Our results imply that chemodenitrification is dependent on the available reactive surfaces and that the NO2- (rather than the N2O) isotope signatures may be useful for distinguishing between chemodenitrification catalysed by minerals, chemodenitrification catalysed by dead microbial biomass, and possibly true enzymatic NDFeO.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1043
Author(s):  
Christabel Ebuzoeme ◽  
Imoh Etim ◽  
Autumn Ikimi ◽  
Jamie Song ◽  
Ting Du ◽  
...  

Glucuronides hydrolysis by intestinal microbial β-Glucuronidases (GUS) is an important procedure for many endogenous and exogenous compounds. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of experimental conditions on glucuronide hydrolysis by intestinal microbial GUS. Standard probe 4-Nitrophenyl β-D-glucopyranoside (pNPG) and a natural glucuronide wogonoside were used as the model compounds. Feces collection time, buffer conditions, interindividual, and species variations were evaluated by incubating the substrates with enzymes. The relative reaction activity of pNPG, reaction rates, and reaction kinetics for wogonoside were calculated. Fresh feces showed the highest hydrolysis activities. Sonication increased total protein yield during enzyme preparation. The pH of the reaction system increased the activity in 0.69–1.32-fold, 2.9–12.9-fold, and 0.28–1.56-fold for mouse, rat, and human at three different concentrations of wogonoside, respectively. The Vmax for wogonoside hydrolysis was 2.37 ± 0.06, 4.48 ± 0.11, and 5.17 ± 0.16 μmol/min/mg and Km was 6.51 ± 0.71, 3.04 ± 0.34, and 0.34 ± 0.047 μM for mouse, rat, and human, respectively. The inter-individual difference was significant (4–6-fold) using inbred rats as the model animal. Fresh feces should be used to avoid activity loss and sonication should be utilized in enzyme preparation to increase hydrolysis activity. The buffer pH should be appropriate according to the species. Inter-individual and species variations were significant.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 116-116
Author(s):  
Emma T Helm ◽  
Susanne J Lin ◽  
Nicholas Gabler ◽  
Eric R Burrough

Abstract Swine dysentery (SD) induced by Brachyspira hyodysentariae (Bhyo) causes colitis and mucohemorrhagic diarrhea in grow-finish pigs, however little is known about the physiological changes that occur to the gastrointestinal tract during Bhyo infection. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a Bhyo challenge on intestinal function and integrity of pigs fed two divergent diets. A total of 36 Bhyo negative gilts (24.3 ± 3.6 kg BW) were selected and assigned to one of three treatment groups (n=12 pigs/trt): 1) Bhyo negative, 20% DDGS diet (CON), 2) Bhyo challenged, 20% DDGS diet (DDGS), and 3) Bhyo challenged, 10% DDGS, 5% beet pulp and 5% resistant potato starch diet (RS). Pigs were fed diets 21 days prior to challenge and on days post inoculation (dpi) 0 and 1, pigs were inoculated with Bhyo or sham. Fecal samples were collected for ATTD and pigs were euthanized for colon collection within 72 hours of initial observation of clinical SD, or at the end of the study (dpi 10-16). Tissues were assessed for ex vivo measures of intestinal integrity and mitochondrial function. The challenge resulted in high morbidity, with 88% of DDGS and RS pigs developing clinical SD. Colon transepithelial resistance was increased in DDGS pigs compared with CON and RS pigs (P=0.005), and colon macromolecule permeability was reduced in both DDGS and RS pigs compared with CON pigs (P=0.006), likely due to mucoid discharge. Colonic mitochondrial oxygen consumption was not impacted by treatment (P &gt;0.10). Further, ATTD of DM, OM, N, and GE were reduced in DDGS pigs compared with CON pigs (P&lt; 0.001), whilst nutrient digestibility was not reduced in RS pigs. Taken together, these data show Bhyo does not appear to reduce ex vivo colonic integrity. Further, the RS diet may reduce severity of a Bhyo challenge.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Istvan Grexa ◽  
Akos Diosdi ◽  
Maria Harmati ◽  
Andras Kriston ◽  
Nikita Moshkov ◽  
...  

AbstractRecent statistics report that more than 3.7 million new cases of cancer occur in Europe yearly, and the disease accounts for approximately 20% of all deaths. High-throughput screening of cancer cell cultures has dominated the search for novel, effective anticancer therapies in the past decades. Recently, functional assays with patient-derived ex vivo 3D cell culture have gained importance for drug discovery and precision medicine. We recently evaluated the major advancements and needs for the 3D cell culture screening, and concluded that strictly standardized and robust sample preparation is the most desired development. Here we propose an artificial intelligence-guided low-cost 3D cell culture delivery system. It consists of a light microscope, a micromanipulator, a syringe pump, and a controller computer. The system performs morphology-based feature analysis on spheroids and can select uniform sized or shaped spheroids to transfer them between various sample holders. It can select the samples from standard sample holders, including Petri dishes and microwell plates, and then transfer them to a variety of holders up to 384 well plates. The device performs reliable semi- and fully automated spheroid transfer. This results in highly controlled experimental conditions and eliminates non-trivial side effects of sample variability that is a key aspect towards next-generation precision medicine.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 674
Author(s):  
Óscar Darío García-García ◽  
Marwa El Soury ◽  
David González-Quevedo ◽  
David Sánchez-Porras ◽  
Jesús Chato-Astrain ◽  
...  

Acellular nerve allografts (ANGs) represent a promising alternative in nerve repair. Our aim is to improve the structural and biomechanical properties of biocompatible Sondell (SD) and Roosens (RS) based ANGs using genipin (GP) as a crosslinker agent ex vivo. The impact of two concentrations of GP (0.10% and 0.25%) on Wistar rat sciatic nerve-derived ANGs was assessed at the histological, biomechanical, and biocompatibility levels. Histology confirmed the differences between SD and RS procedures, but not remarkable changes were induced by GP, which helped to preserve the nerve histological pattern. Tensile test revealed that GP enhanced the biomechanical properties of SD and RS ANGs, being the crosslinked RS ANGs more comparable to the native nerves used as control. The evaluation of the ANGs biocompatibility conducted with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells cultured within the ANGs confirmed a high degree of biocompatibility in all ANGs, especially in RS and RS-GP 0.10% ANGs. Finally, this study demonstrates that the use of GP could be an efficient alternative to improve the biomechanical properties of ANGs with a slight impact on the biocompatibility and histological pattern. For these reasons, we hypothesize that our novel crosslinked ANGs could be a suitable alternative for future in vivo preclinical studies.


Author(s):  
Takeshi Mizunoya ◽  
Noriko Nozaki ◽  
Rajeev Kumar Singh

AbstractIn the early 2000s, Japan instituted the Great Heisei Consolidation, a national strategy to promote large-scale municipal mergers. This study analyzes the impact that this strategy could have on watershed management. We select the Lake Kasumigaura Basin, the second largest lake in Japan, for the case study and construct a dynamic expanded input–output model to simulate the ecological system around the Lake, the socio-environmental changes over the period, and their mutual dependency for the period 2012–2020. In the model, we regulate and control the following water pollutants: total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and chemical oxygen demand. The results show that a trade-off between economic activity and the environment can be avoided within a specific range of pollution reduction, given that the prefectural government implements optimal water environment policies, assuming that other factors constraining economic growth exist. Additionally, municipal mergers are found to significantly reduce the budget required to improve the water environment, but merger budget efficiency varies nonlinearly with the reduction rate. Furthermore, despite the increase in financial efficiency from the merger, the efficiency of installing domestic wastewater treatment systems decreases drastically beyond a certain pollution reduction level and eventually reaches a limit. Further reductions require direct regulatory instruments in addition to economic policies, along with limiting the output of each industry. Most studies on municipal mergers apply a political, administrative, or financial perspective; few evaluate the quantitative impact of municipal mergers on the environment and environmental policy implications. This study addresses these gaps.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara Gagliardi ◽  
Nausicaa Clemente ◽  
Romina Monzani ◽  
Luca Fusaro ◽  
Eleonora Ferrari ◽  
...  

AbstractCeliac disease (CD) is a complex immune-mediated chronic disease characterized by a consistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract induced by gluten intake in genetically predisposed individuals. Although initiated by the interaction between digestion-derived gliadin, a gluten component, peptides, and the intestinal epithelium, the disorder is highly complex and involving other components of the intestine, such as the immune system. Therefore, conventional model systems, mainly based on two- or three-dimension cell cultures and co-cultures, cannot fully recapitulate such a complex disease. The development of mouse models has facilitated the study of different interacting cell types involved in the disorder, together with the impact of environmental factors. However, such in vivo models are often expensive and time consuming. Here we propose an organ ex vivo culture (gut-ex-vivo system) based on small intestines from gluten-sensitive mice cultivated in a dynamic condition, able to fully recapitulate the biochemical and morphological features of the mouse model exposed to gliadin (4 weeks), in 16 h. Indeed, upon gliadin exposure, we observed: i) a down-regulation of cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) and an up-regulation of transglutaminase 2 (TG2) at both mRNA and protein levels; ii) increased intestinal permeability associated with deregulated tight junction protein expression; iii) induction and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-15, IL-17 and interferon gamma (IFNγ); and iv) consistent alteration of intestinal epithelium/villi morphology. Altogether, these data indicate that the proposed model can be efficiently used to study the pathogenesis of CD, test new or repurposed molecules to accelerate the search for new treatments, and to study the impact of the microbiome and derived metabolites, in a time- and cost- effective manner.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Tinarelli ◽  
Elena Ivanova ◽  
Ilaria Colombi ◽  
Erica Barini ◽  
Edoardo Balzani ◽  
...  

Abstract Background DNA methylation has emerged as an important epigenetic regulator of brain processes, including circadian rhythms. However, how DNA methylation intervenes between environmental signals, such as light entrainment, and the transcriptional and translational molecular mechanisms of the cellular clock is currently unknown. Here, we studied the after-hours mice, which have a point mutation in the Fbxl3 gene and a lengthened circadian period. Methods In this study, we used a combination of in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro approaches. We measured retinal responses in Afh animals and we have run reduced representation bisulphite sequencing (RRBS), pyrosequencing and gene expression analysis in a variety of brain tissues ex vivo. In vitro, we used primary neuronal cultures combined to micro electrode array (MEA) technology and gene expression. Results We observed functional impairments in mutant neuronal networks, and a reduction in the retinal responses to light-dependent stimuli. We detected abnormalities in the expression of photoreceptive melanopsin (OPN4). Furthermore, we identified alterations in the DNA methylation pathways throughout the retinohypothalamic tract terminals and links between the transcription factor Rev-Erbα and Fbxl3. Conclusions The results of this study, primarily represent a contribution towards an understanding of electrophysiological and molecular phenotypic responses to external stimuli in the Afh model. Moreover, as DNA methylation has recently emerged as a new regulator of neuronal networks with important consequences for circadian behaviour, we discuss the impact of the Afh mutation on the epigenetic landscape of circadian biology.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Leligdowicz ◽  
James T. Ross ◽  
Nicolas Nesseler ◽  
Michael A. Matthay

Abstract Background The ex vivo human perfused lung model has enabled optimizing donor lungs for transplantation and delineating mechanisms of lung injury. Perfusate and airspace biomarkers are a proxy of the lung response to experimental conditions. However, there is a lack of studies evaluating biomarker kinetics during perfusion and after exposure to stimuli. In this study, we analyzed the ex vivo-perfused lung response to three key perturbations: exposure to the perfusion circuit, exogenous fresh whole blood, and bacteria. Results Ninety-nine lungs rejected for transplantation underwent ex vivo perfusion. One hour after reaching experimental conditions, fresh whole blood was added to the perfusate (n = 55). Two hours after reaching target temperature, Streptococcus pneumoniae was added to the perfusate (n = 42) or to the airspaces (n = 17). Perfusate and airspace samples were collected at baseline (once lungs were equilibrated for 1 h, but before blood or bacteria were added) and 4 h later. Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, angiopoietin (Ang)-2, and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor (sTNFR)-1 were quantified. Baseline perfusate and airspace biomarker levels varied significantly, and this was not related to pre-procurement PaO2:FiO2 ratio, cold ischemia time, and baseline alveolar fluid clearance (AFC). After 4 h of ex vivo perfusion, the lung demonstrated a sustained production of proinflammatory mediators. The change in biomarker levels was not influenced by baseline donor lung characteristics (cold ischemia time, baseline AFC) nor was it associated with measures of experimental epithelial (final AFC) or endothelial (percent weight gain) injury. In the presence of exogenous blood, the rise in biomarkers was attenuated. Lungs exposed to intravenous (IV) bacteria relative to control lungs demonstrated a significantly higher rise in perfusate IL-6. Conclusions The ex vivo-perfused lung has a marked endogenous capacity to produce inflammatory mediators over the course of short-term perfusion that is not significantly influenced by donor lung characteristics or the presence of exogenous blood, and only minimally affected by the introduction of systemic bacteremia. The lack of association between biomarker change and donor lung cold ischemia time, final alveolar fluid clearance, and experimental percent weight gain suggests that the maintained ability of the human lung to produce biomarkers is not merely a marker of lung epithelial or endothelial injury, but may support the function of the lung as an immune cell reservoir.


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