Interaction of Scenedesmus quadricauda and native bacteria in marine biopharmaceutical wastewater for desirable lipid production and wastewater treatment.

Improving knowledge of the alga-bacterium interaction can promote the wastewater treatment. The untreated marine biopharmaceutical wastewater (containing native bacteria) was used directly for culturing microalgae. Unlike previous studies on specific bacteria in algal-bacterial co-culture systems, the effect of native bacteria in wastewater on microalgae growth was investigated in this study. The results showed that the coexistence of native bacteria greatly promoted the microalgae growth, ultimately producing biomass of 0.64 g/L and biomass productivity of 56.18 mg/L·d. Moreover, the lipid accumulation in the algae + bacteria group was 1.31 and 1.13 times higher than those of BG11 and pure algae, respectively, mainly attributed to the fact that bacteria provided a good environment for microalgae growth by using extracellular substances released from microalgae for their own growth, and providing micromolecules of organic matter and other required elements to microalgae. This study would lay the theoretical foundation for improving biopharmaceutical wastewater treatment.

Overlooked long-chain chlorinated paraffin (LCCP) contamination in foodstuff from China.

Data on long-chain chlorinated paraffins (LCCPs) is extremely sparse, despite their use and emission are increasing with the phasing out of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs). In this study, we analyzed chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in foodstuff samples (551 pooled samples, 93 items) divided into eight categories collected from Jinan, Shandong Province of China, by atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (APCI-qToF-MS), to investigate the occurrence, contamination patterns and homologue patterns of LCCPs in foodstuff commonly consumed in traditional Chinese diet. LCCP intake through diet was estimated as well. LCCPs were detected in all pooled samples with geometric mean (GM) concentrations ranging from 1.8 to 21.9 ng/g wet weight (ng/g ww), contributing to 9-28% of the total CP mass in the studied foodstuff categories. The contamination patterns of LCCPs differed from SCCPs and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs), as reflected by the patterns of mass distribution, and by the lack of correlations between LCCP and S/MCCP concentrations in various foodstuff categories. The homologue profiles of LCCPs were extremely complex and diverse, with frequent detection of C30-36Cl2-15 very-long-chain chlorinated paraffin (vLCCP) congeners. The homologue profiles of eggs stood out for their high abundance of C18-22Cl9-13 LCCP congeners. LCCPs contributed 6.0-25.2% (8.9% for median estimation) to the estimated dietary intake (EDI) for total CPs through diet based on estimations using different percentiles of CP concentrations. The median estimate of dietary LCCP intake for adults in Jinan was 287.9 ng/kg_bw/day, reaching ~10- to 100-fold of that in Sweden and Canada. Considering the continuing production, use and emission of LCCPs, as well as the similar toxicity effects induced by LCCPs as SCCPs and MCCPs, attention should be paid to the health risk posed by LCCPs, or all CPs as a class of contaminants.

Biochemical wastewater from landfill leachate pretreated by microalgae achieving algae's self-reliant cultivation in full wastewater-recycling chain with desirable lipid productivity.

Heightened awareness of additional pretreatment for wastewater, has driven studies towards building a full wastewater-recycling chain wherein the wastewater pretreatment is performed by microalgae themselves. We applied biochemical wastewater from landfill leachate with added K2HPO4 (BWLL + P) directly to microalgal cultivation. The results showed that the pretreatment provided by the 1st cultivation reduced suspended solids by nearly half, greatly boosting microalgal growth, which thus yielded 1.06 g/L of dry mass and 87.06 mg/L·d of biomass productivity. From the 2nd to the 4th cultivation, lipid accumulation in BWLL + P was 1.12-1.27 times and 1.95-2.36 times higher than in BG11 and BWLL, respectively, mainly attributed to the comfortable environment engendered by the microalgal pretreatment and the organic carbon in the wastewater. Strikingly, the biodiesel production fed with BWLL + P could save 99% of the cost compared with in BG11. In combination, our pioneering full wastewater-recycling chain achieved microalgae's self-reliant cultivation, with wastewater nourishment.

Investigations on the effects of Cu(2+) on the structure and function of human serum albumin.

Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most prominent protein in blood plasma with important physiological functions. Although copper is an essential metal for all organisms, the massive utilization of copper has led to concerns regarding its potential health impact. To better understand the potential toxicity and toxic mechanisms of Cu(2+), it is of vital importance to characterize the interaction of Cu(2+) with HSA. The effect of Cu(2+) on the structure and function of HSA in vitro were investigated by biophysical methods including fluorescence techniques, circular dichroism (CD), time-resolved measurements, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), molecular simulations and esterase activity assay. Multi-spectroscopic measurements proved that Cu(2+) quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA in a dynamic process accompanied by the formation of complex and alteration of secondary structure. But the Cu(2+) had minimal effect on the backbone and secondary structure of HSA at relatively low concentrations. The ITC results indicated Cu(2+) interacted with HSA spontaneously through hydrophobic forces with approximately 1 thermodynamic identical binding sites at 298 K. The esterase activity of HSA was inhibited obviously at the concentration of 8 × 10(-5) M. However, molecular simulation showed that Cu(2+) mainly interacted with the amino acid residues Asp (451) by the electrostatic force. Thus, we speculated the interaction between Cu(2+) and HSA might induce microenvironment of the active site (Arg 410). This study has provided a novel idea to explore the biological toxicity of Cu(2+) at the molecular level.

Oxidative damage induced by copper in mouse primary hepatocytes by single-cell analysis.

Copper can disturb the intracellular redox balance, induce oxidative stress, and subsequently cause irreversible damage, leading to a variety of diseases. In the present study, mouse primary hepatocytes were chosen to elucidate the in vitro oxidative damage of short-term copper exposure (10-200 µM) by single-cell analysis. We evaluated the toxicity of copper by reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione (GSH), and oxidative DNA damage at the single-cell level. Oxidative damage induced by copper was verified by the morphological changes, persistent elevations of excessive ROS and malondialdehyde (MDA), a decrease in GSH level, and the oxidative DNA damage. Furthermore, the average ROS generation, GSH consumption, and the indicators in DNA damage did not significantly change at relatively low concentrations (10 or 50 µM), but we can find the alterations of parameters in some single cells clearly. Emphasis on the analysis of single cells is conducive to gain a better understanding on the toxicity of copper. This study will also complement studies on the environmental risk assessment of copper pollution.