Systematic
Approach to In-Depth Understanding of Photoelectrocatalytic
Bacterial Inactivation Mechanisms by Tracking the Decomposed Building
Blocks
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Abstract
A systematic approach
was developed to understand, in-depth, the
mechanisms involved during the inactivation of bacterial cells using
photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) processes with <i>Escherichia coli</i> K-12 as the model microorganism. The bacterial cells were found
to be inactivated and decomposed primarily due to attack from photogenerated
H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. Extracellular reactive oxygen species
(ROSs), such as H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, may penetrate into the
bacterial cell and cause dramatically elevated intracellular ROSs
levels, which would overwhelm the antioxidative capacity of bacterial
protective enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and catalase. The
activities of these two enzymes were found to decrease due to the
ROSs attacks during PEC inactivation. Bacterial cell wall damage was
then observed, including loss of cell membrane integrity and increased
permeability, followed by the decomposition of cell envelope (demonstrated
by scanning electronic microscope images). One of the bacterial building
blocks, protein, was found to be oxidatively damaged due to the ROSs
attacks, as well. Leakage of cytoplasm and biomolecules (bacterial
building blocks such as proteins and nucleic acids) were evident during
prolonged PEC inactivation process. The leaked cytoplasmic substances
and cell debris could be further degraded and, ultimately, mineralized
with prolonged PEC treatment