1 research outputs found
Investigating Catalase Activity Through Hydrogen Peroxide Decomposition by Bacteria Biofilms in Real Time Using Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy
Catalase
activity through hydrogen peroxide decomposition in a
1 mM bulk solution above <i>Vibrio fischeri</i> (γ-<i>Protebacteria-Vibrionaceae</i>) bacterial biofilms of either
symbiotic or free-living strains was studied in real time by scanning
electrochemical microscopy (SECM). The catalase activity, in units
of micromoles hydrogen peroxide decomposed per minute over a period
of 348 s, was found to vary with incubation time of each biofilm in
correlation with the corresponding growth curve of bacteria in liquid
culture. Average catalase activity for the same incubation times ranging
from 1 to 12 h was found to be 0.28 ± 0.07 μmol H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>/min for the symbiotic biofilms and 0.31 ± 0.07
μmol H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>/min for the free-living biofilms,
suggesting similar catalase activity. Calculations based on Comsol
Multiphysics simulations in fitting experimental biofilm data indicated
that approximately (3 ± 1) × 10<sup>6</sup> molecules of
hydrogen peroxide were decomposed by a single bacterium per second,
signifying the presence of a highly active catalase. A 2-fold enhancement
in catalase activity was found for both free-living and symbiotic
biofilms in response to external hydrogen peroxide concentrations
as low as 1 nM in the growth media, implying a similar mechanism in
responding to oxidative stress