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Characteristics of oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses by a mixed culture of acidophilic bacteria in response to Co2+ exposure

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Abstract

During bioleaching of Cobalt from waste lithium-ion batteries, the biooxidation activity of acidophilic bacteria is inhibited by a high concentration of Co ion in the liquid phase. However, the mechanism for Co2+ toxicity to acidophilic bacteria has not been fully elucidated. In this study, the effects of Co2+ concentration on the biooxidation activity for Fe2+, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and antioxidant defense systems in a mixed-culture of acidophilic bacteria (MCAB) were investigated. The results showed that the biooxidation activity of the MCAB was inhibited by Co2+. Furthermore, it was indicated that the intracellular ROS contents of the MCAB under conditions of 0.4 M and 0.6 M Co2+ were 2.60 and 3.34 times higher than that under the condition of 0 M Co2+. The increase in intracellular malondialdehyde content indicated that the oxidative damage was induced by Co2+. Moreover, the antioxidant systems in MCAB were affected by Co2+. It was observed that the Co2+ exposure increased the catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities while reducing the superoxide dismutase activity and the intracellular glutathione (GSH) content. It was found that an exogenous GSH supplementation eliminated excess intracellular ROS and improved the biooxidation activity of the MCAB.

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Abbreviations

ABTS:

2,2′-Azino–bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid diammonium salt)

CAT:

Catalase

Co:

Cobalt

FL:

Fluorescence intensity

GSH:

Glutathione

GSH-Px:

Glutathione peroxidase

H2O2 :

Hydrogen peroxide

·OH:

Hydroxyl radical

LOOH:

Lipoperoxide

MCAB:

Mixed-culture of acidophilic bacteria

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

ORP:

Oxidation–reduction potential

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

\( {\text{O}}_{2}^{ \cdot } \) :

Superoxide anion

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

TBA:

Thiobarbituric acid

WLIBs:

Waste lithium-ion batteries

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Open Project Funding of the State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering of China, the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (nos. 2007AA060904 and 2012AA061503) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC21878083).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China

    Weijin Wu, Xiyan Li, Xu Zhang, Yongqiu Qiu, Minglong Zhu & Wensong Tan

  2. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Tingyue Gu

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  1. Weijin Wu
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  2. Xiyan Li
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  3. Xu Zhang
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  7. Wensong Tan
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Correspondence to Xu Zhang or Wensong Tan.

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Communicated by I. Cann.

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Wu, W., Li, X., Zhang, X. et al. Characteristics of oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses by a mixed culture of acidophilic bacteria in response to Co2+ exposure. Extremophiles 24, 485–499 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-020-01170-4

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