Inhibition Studies with 2-Bromoethanesulfonate Reveal a Novel Syntrophic Relationship in Anaerobic Oleate Degradation.

Degradation of long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) in methanogenic environments is a syntrophic process involving the activity of LCFA-degrading bacteria and hydrogen-utilizing methanogens. If methanogens are inhibited, other hydrogen scavengers are needed to achieve complete LCFA degradation. In this work, we developed two different oleate (C18:1 LCFA)-degrading anaerobic enrichment cultures, one methanogenic (ME) and another in which methanogenesis was inhibited (IE). Inhibition of methanogens was attained by adding a solution of 2-bromoethanesulfonate (BrES), which turned out to consist of a mixture of BrES and isethionate. Approximately 5 times faster oleate degradation was accomplished by the IE culture compared with the ME culture. A bacterium closely related to Syntrophomonas zehnderi (99% 16S rRNA gene identity) was the main oleate degrader in both enrichments, in syntrophic relationship with hydrogenotrophic methanogens from the genera Methanobacterium and Methanoculleus (in ME culture) or with a bacterium closely related to Desulfovibrio aminophilus (in IE culture). A Desulfovibrio species was isolated, and its ability to utilize hydrogen was confirmed. This bacterium converted isethionate to acetate and sulfide, with or without hydrogen as electron donor. This bacterium also utilized BrES but only after 3 months of incubation. Our study shows that syntrophic oleate degradation can be coupled to desulfonation.IMPORTANCE In anaerobic treatment of complex wastewater containing fat, oils, and grease, high long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) concentrations may inhibit microbial communities, particularly those of methanogens. Here, we investigated if anaerobic degradation of LCFAs can proceed when methanogens are inhibited and in the absence of typical external electron acceptors, such as nitrate, iron, or sulfate. Inhibition studies were performed with the methanogenic inhibitor 2-bromoethanesulfonate (BrES). We noticed that, after autoclaving, BrES underwent partial hydrolysis and turned out to be a mixture of two sulfonates (BrES and isethionate). We found out that LCFA conversion proceeded faster in the assays where methanogenesis was inhibited, and that it was dependent on the utilization of isethionate. In this study, we report LCFA degradation coupled to desulfonation. Our results also showed that BrES can be utilized by anaerobic bacteria.

In vitro evaluation of surface roughness and microhardness of restorative materials submitted to erosive challenges.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different acidic solutions on the microhardness and surface roughness of restorative materials. The 120 specimens of restorative materials (Fuji II LC, Vitremer, Supreme XT, and Supreme XT + Biscover LV) were randomly divided into three groups according to the immersion media: hydrochloric acid, soft drink, or distilled water. Over a period of five weeks, the groups were immersed in the solutions, which were changed weekly. Data were tested using analysis of variance and the Fisher protected least significant difference test (p<0.05). The results showed that the glass ionomer materials showed the highest surface roughness values (Fuji II LC: 0.111 ± 0.014 µm before and 0.139 ± 0.016 µm after immersion; Vitremer: 0.177 ± 0.012 µm before and 0.084 ± 0.012 µm after immersion), whereas the lowest values were found for the resin sealed with Biscover LV before (0.047 ± 0.011 µm) and after exposure in distilled water (0.043 ± 0.007 µm), soft drink (0.040 ± 0.005 µm), and hydrochloric acid (0.045 ± 0.005 µm). The Supreme XT showed the highest microhardness values before (44.96 ± 2.51 KHN) and after the aging process (41.26 ± 1.22 KHN in water, 35.96 ± 0.81 KHN in soft drink, and 34.74 ± 0.97 KHN in HCl), with significant differences from the other materials (p<0.0001). The lowest microhardness values were found for glass ionomer materials. The solutions used in this study decreased the microhardness of all studied materials, whereas the sealed surface suffered minor changes in microhardness and surface roughness after exposure to acidic solutions.

Prenatal exposure to dichlorvos: physical and behavioral effects on rat offspring.

The effects of prenatal exposure to dichlorvos (DDVP), an organophosphate (OP) pesticide, on pups' physical and neurobehavioral developments were investigated. Forty pregnant rats were treated by gavage with 8.0 mg/kg DDVP or its vehicle (1 ml/kg) from the 6th to the 15th day of pregnancy. At birth, pups were weighed, the litters culled to eight animals (four male and four female), and then observed for physical (pinna detachment, incisor eruption, eye opening, testes descent, and vaginal opening) and neurobehavioral developments (palmar grasp, surface righting, negative geotaxis, and open-field behaviors). As adults, open-field, apomorphine-induced stereotypy, and passive avoidance behaviors were also assessed. Results showed no differences between the body weight of DDVP and control-treated groups. No differences were observed on the measures of physical and neurobehavioral development. Locomotor activity of male pups at 21 days of age was decreased by DDVP exposure. Adult experimental offspring showed a decreased locomotor frequency and an increased immobility duration on open-field behavior in relation to control animals; the apomorphine-induced stereotyped behavior was decreased by the pesticide exposure as well as performance on the passive avoidance task. These data suggest that prenatal DDVP exposure was able to decrease offspring motor function (adolescence and adults) and conditioned response learning, probably by interference with the cholinergic-dopaminergic balance of activity involved with the control of motor function as well as the cholinergic system that modulates learning process.