Determination of rate constants for the reaction of hydroxyl radicals with some purines and pyrimidines using sunlight

Does light-based tertiary treatment prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance genes? Performance, regrowth and future direction

The common occurrence of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) originating from pathogenic and facultative pathogenic bacteria pose a high risk to aquatic environments. Low removal of ARGs in conventional wastewater treatment processes and horizontal dissemination of resistance genes between environmental bacteria and human pathogens have made antibiotic resistance evolution a complex global health issue. The phenomenon of regrowth of bacteria after disinfection raised some concerns regarding the long-lasting safety of treated waters. Despite the inactivation of living antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), the possibility of transferring intact and liberated DNA containing ARGs remains. A step in this direction would be to apply new types of disinfection methods addressing this issue in detail, such as light-based advanced oxidation, that potentially enhance the effect of direct light interaction with DNA. This study is devoted to comprehensively and critically review the current state-of-art for light-driven disinfection. The main focus of the article is to provide an insight into the different photochemical disinfection methods currently being studied worldwide with respect to ARGs removal as an alternative to conventional methods. The systematic comparison of UV/chlorination, UV/H₂O₂, sulfate radical based-AOPs, photocatalytic processes and photoFenton considering their mode of action on molecular level, operational parameters of the processes, and overall efficiency of removal of ARGs is presented. An in-depth discussion of different light-dependent inactivation pathways, influence of DBP and DOM on ARG removal and the potential bacterial regrowth after treatment is presented. Based on presented revision the risk of ARG transfer from reactivated bacteria has been evaluated, leading to a future direction for research addressing the challenges of light-based disinfection technologies.

Assessment of the UV/Chlorine Process in the Disinfection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Efficiency and Mechanism

UV irradiation and chlorination have been widely used for water disinfection. However, there are some limitations, such as the risk of generating viable but nonculturable bacteria and bacteria reactivation when using UV irradiation or chlorination alone. This study comprehensively evaluated the feasibility of the UV/chlorine process in drinking water disinfection, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was selected as the target microorganism. The number of culturable cells was effectively reduced by more than 5 orders of magnitude (5-log₁₀) after UV, chlorine, and UV/chlorine treatments. However, intact and VBNC cells were detected at 10³ to 10⁴ cells/mL after UV and chlorine treatments, whereas they were undetectable after UV/chlorine treatment due to the primary contribution of reactive chlorine species (Cl^•, Cl₂^•-, and ClO^•). After UV/chlorine treatment, the metabolic activity determined using single cell Raman spectroscopy was much lower than that after UV. The level of toxic opr gene in P. aeruginosa decreased by more than 99% after UV/chlorine treatment. Importantly, bacterial dark reactivation was completely suppressed by UV/chlorine treatment but not UV or chlorination. This study suggests that the UV/chlorine treatment can completely damage bacteria and is promising for pathogen inactivation to overcome the limitations of UV and chlorine treatments alone.

Kinetic Modelling of the Fenton-Like Oxidation of Maleic Acid Using a Heterogeneous Modified Polyacrylonitrile (Pan) Catalyst

A kinetic model has been developed that expresses the oxidation of maleic acid in solution using a novel modified (polyacrylonitrile) PAN catalyst/hydrogen peroxide system. The novel modified PAN catalyst contains immobilised Fe3+and its reaction with hydrogen peroxide is thought to generate reactive hydroxyl radicals according to Fenton's reaction as well as another active iron oxo species. The model takes into account the presence of both hydroxyl radicals and active iron oxo species as well as hydroperoxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide in the oxidation process. Kinetic constants for the modified PAN/H2O2 system towards the decomposition of maleic acid were determined, and their sensitivity analysed. Predicted concentration profiles of the radical species (‘OH, HO2 O'2.-), as well as iron species (Fe(III), Fe(II) and FeO) helped in gaining a better understanding the oxidation process. This model, with the new set of kinetic parameters, provides a superior fit to the experimental data compared to kinetic constants from the literature.

1,3-Diene Probes for Detection of Triplet Carbonyls in Biological Systems

Electronically excited triplet carbonyls are formed during the oxidative degradation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, and beta-dicarbonyl metabolites. Due to their long lifetime and high alkoxyl radical-like reactivity, triplet carbonyls may initiate deleterious reactions in biological systems. Here we study the quenching properties of conjugated dienes, specifically 2,4-hexadienoate (sorbate) and its alkyl ester, on triplet acetone generated chemically (thermolysis of tetramethyl-1,2-dioxetane) or enzymatically (horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of isobutanal). Triplet acetone quenching rates were near diffusion control ( k q = 10 (8)-10 (9) M (-1) s (-1)) and accompanied by diene cis-trans isomerization. None of the dienes displays antioxidant activity in classical systems known to generate reactive oxygen species: superoxide anion radical, hydroxyl radical, alkoxyl and alkylperoxyl radicals, or singlet oxygen. Experiments with model systems used widely to study lipid peroxidation showed that sorbate can inhibit mitochondrial swelling induced by enzymically formed triplet benzophenone and quench the chemiluminescence of microsome preparations challenged with iron and ascorbate. Altogether, our data indicate that conjugated dienes can be used as specific quenchers of triplet carbonyls formed in biological systems during oxidative stress. Moreover, they suggest that the well-known food preservative properties of sorbate may be due to its triplet carbonyl quenching activity.

Impairment of antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation and 8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine in advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma of a Spanish community

In the present study, we describe the changes of antioxidant enzyme activities and other oxidative stress-related parameters in a mediterranean cohort of women affected with epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC). For that purpose, the most representative enzymatic activities, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and the oxidized/reduced glutathione (GSSG/GSH) ratio have been analyzed in tumor tissue biopsies and compared with the normal tissue of the same patient. As oxidation products, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) as an indication of lipid peroxidation, and the DNA damaged base 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) have been also measured. Advanced EOC show reduced levels of SOD and CAT, while that of GPx is increased when compared with non-neoplastic tissue. The levels of GSH are increased giving as a result a reduction of the oxidative stress marker GSSG/GSH ratio comparing normal ovarian tissue with tumor tissue. In addition, the oxidation products MDA and 8-oxo-dG are significantly increased in tumor tissue, suggesting a shift of oxidative metabolisms towards a pro-oxidation state and potential gene instability in malignant ovary cells. The possible implication of the redox changes and DNA damage in tumor development is discussed.