Understanding gold toxicity in aerobically-grown Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is an emerging field to put into practice new strategies for developing molecules with antimicrobial properties. In this line, several metals and metalloids are currently being used for these purposes, although their cellular effect(s) or target(s) in a particular organism are still unknown. Here we aimed to investigate and analyze Au³⁺ toxicity through a combination of biochemical and molecular approaches.

Results

We found that Au³⁺ triggers a major oxidative unbalance in Escherichia coli, characterized by decreased intracellular thiol levels, increased superoxide concentration, as well as by an augmented production of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase. Because ROS production is, in some cases, associated with m

SUBMITTER: Munoz-Villagran C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7278051 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature