benzofurans and acenaphthene

The biological degradation of complex mixtures of recalcitrant substances is still a major challenge in environmental biotechnology and the remediation of coal-tar constitutes one such problem area. Biofilm bioreactors offer many advantages and may be successfully used for this purpose. Two stirred-tank reactors and one packed-bed reactor were tested in a continuous mode. Continuous cultivation allows microbial selection to take place whilst adhesive growth provides a high degradation capacity and process stability. The reactors were inoculated with mixed microbial populations to favour complete metabolism and to prevent metabolite accumulation and substrate inhibition effects. Phenol, o-cresol, quinoline, dibenzofuran, acenaphthene and phenanthrene were used as model contaminants and constituted the sole energy and carbon sources. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) was initially set to 2.5 days for a period of several months to allow the establishment of a stable biofilm and was then gradually decreased. All the compounds were found to be degraded by more than 90% at HRT of 3 h or more. Neither substrate inhibition nor metabolite accumulation effects were observed. The stirred-tank configuration was found to be the most efficient for use with high loads. No improvement in the degradation capacity could be achieved by increasing the biofilm surface in these reactors, illustrating that the limiting factor may be the mass transfer limitations rather than the availability of the biofilm surface. Finally, anaerobic treatment was successfully achieved, confirming the potential for remediation of contaminated sites under anaerobic conditions, providing that alternative electron acceptors are present.

Topics: Acenaphthenes; Bacteria, Aerobic; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Benzofurans; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biofilms; Bioreactors; Coal Tar; Cresols; Phenanthrenes; Phenol; Quinolines; Time Factors

Treatment of B6C3F1 mice with acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene and dibenzofuran resulted in induction of hepatic microsomal methoxyresorufin O-deethylase (MROD) activity. Acenaphthylene was the most potent inducer of MROD, a Cyp1a2-dependent activity, and was utilized as a prototypical inducer for this group of tricyclic hydrocarbons. Acenaphthylene (300 mg/kg) caused a > 80-fold induction of hepatic microsomal MROD activity; no induction was observed in kidney or lung. Analysis of induced hepatic microsomes with antibodies to Cyp1a1 and Cyp1a2 showed that acenaphthylene induced immunoreactive Cyp1a2 but not Cyp1a1 proteins and subsequent mRNA analysis confirmed with a cDNA probe for Cyp1a1 and Cyp1a2 that acenaphthylene induced Cyp1a2 but not Cyp1a1 mRNA. Results from nuclear run-on experiments using hepatic nuclei showed that acenaphthylene caused an approximately 4-fold increase in the rate of Cyp1a2 gene transcription in B6C3F1 mice. Results of competitive binding studies indicated that the tricyclic hydrocarbons did not competitively displace [3H]2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or [3H]benzo[a]pyrene from the mouse hepatic cytosolic aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor or 4S carcinogen binding protein respectively. The data indicate that acenaphthylene and related tricyclic hydrocarbons induce Cyp1a2 gene expression in B6C3F1 mice via an Ah receptor-independent pathway. Thus, tricyclic hydrocarbons induce Cyp1a2 without the co-induction of Cyp1a1 and therefore these relatively non-toxic compounds can be used to further probe the role of Cyp1a2 in the metabolism and metabolic activation of diverse chemical carcinogens.

Topics: Acenaphthenes; Animals; Anthracenes; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Benzofurans; Crosses, Genetic; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Enzyme Induction; Female; Fluorenes; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Microsomes, Liver; Oxidoreductases; Perylene; Phenanthrenes; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon