Peniapyrones A-I, Cytotoxic Tricyclic-Fused α-Pyrone Derivatives from an Endophytic Penicillium brefeldianum F4a.

Five cyclopenta[d]pyrano[4,3-b]pyran-1,7(6H)-dione 6/6/5-fused tricyclic ring system containing metabolites peniapyrones A-E (1-5), and four previously undescribed cyclopenta[4,5]furo[3,2-c]pyran-1-one 6/5/5-fused tricyclic ring system containing compounds peniapyrones F-I (6-9), were isolated from the endophytic Penicillium brefeldianum F4a. Their structures, including absolute configurations, were determined through spectroscopic analysis and quantum chemical calculations. Peniapyrones D (4) and E (5) were a pair of diastereoisomers. Compounds 1, 3, and 5-9 showed cytotoxic activity against AsPC-1, CRL-2234, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. Compounds 1, 3, 6, 8, and 9 inhibited the Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homologue (KRAS) mutant AsPC-1 cell line.

Panax quinquefolius polysaccharides ameliorate ulcerative colitis in mice induced by dextran sulfate sodium.

This study aimed to investigate the ameliorative effect of the polysaccharides of Panax quinquefolius (WQP) on ulcerative colitis (UC) induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in mice and to explore its mechanism. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into the control group (C), model group (DSS), positive control mesalazine (100 mg/kg, Y) group, and low (50 mg/kg, L), medium (100 mg/kg, M) and high dose (200 mg/kg, H) of WQP groups. The UC model was induced by free drinking water with 2.5% DSS for 7 days. During the experiment, the general condition of the mice was observed, and the disease activity index (DAI) was scored. The conventional HE staining was used to observe pathological changes in mice's colon, and the ELISA method was used to detect the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-4, IL-8, IL-10, IL-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in mice's colon. The changes in gut microbiota in mice were detected by high-throughput sequencing; the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) was determined by gas chromatography; the expression of related proteins was detected by Western blot. Compared with the DSS group, the WQP group showed a significantly lower DAI score of mice and an alleviated colon tissue injury. In the middle- and high-dose polysaccharides groups, the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-1ß and TNF-α in the colonic tissue were significantly decreased (P<0.05), while the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly increased (P<0.05). The 16S rRNA gene sequencing results showed that different doses of WQP could regulate the composition and diversity of gut microbiota and improve its structure. Specifically, at the phylum level, group H showed an increased relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and a decreased relative abundance of Firmicutes compared with the DSS group, which was closer to the case in group C. At the family level, the relative abundance of Rikenellaceae in L, M and H groups increased significantly, close to that in group C. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Bacteroides, Shigella and Oscillospira in the H group increased significantly, while that of Lactobacillus and Prevotella decreased significantly. The high-dose WQP group could significantly increase the contents of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and total SCFAs. Different doses of WQP also increased the expression levels of tight junction proteins ZO-1, Occludin and Claudin-1. To sum up, WQP can regulate the gut microbiota structure of UC mice, accelerate the recovery of gut microbiota, and increase the content of Faecal SCFAs and the expression level of tight junction proteins in UC mice. This study can provide new ideas for the treatment and prevention of UC and theoretical references for the application of WQP.

Genome Mining and Molecular Networking Guided Isolation of Antimycin Analogs with Antifeedant Activities from the Deep-Sea-Derived Streptomyces sp. NA13.

Polyphagous insects could affect agricultural production, which leads to serious economic losses. Due to the negative effects of synthesized insecticides, finding eco-friendly and new biopesticides is emergent. To develop natural origin insecticides, an integrative approach combining antifeedant activity screening, genome mining, and molecular networking has been applied to discover antifeedant secondary metabolites from Streptomyces sp. NA13, which leads to the isolation of a novel antimycin Q (1) and six known antimycin analogs (antimycins A1a, A2a, A3a, A4a, A7a, and N-formylantimycic acid methyl ester, 2-7). Their structures were identified by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic. The absolute configuration of 1 was elucidated by the comparison of coupling constant, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) analysis, and NMR calculations. 1-6 exhibited different levels of antifeedant activities against Helicoverpa armigera, especially 1-4. At the same time, the antifeedant activity of antimycin was reported firstly.

American ginseng with different processing methods ameliorate immunosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide in mice via the MAPK signaling pathways.

This study aimed to clarify the effects of two processed forms of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) on immunosuppression caused by cyclophosphamide (CTX) in mice. In the CTX-induced immunosuppressive model, mice were given either steamed American ginseng (American ginseng red, AGR) or raw American ginseng (American ginseng soft branch, AGS) by intragastric administration. Serum and spleen tissues were collected, and the pathological changes in mice spleens were observed by conventional HE staining. The expression levels of cytokines were detected by ELISA, and the apoptosis of splenic cells was determined by western blotting. The results showed that AGR and AGS could relieve CTX-induced immunosuppression through the enhanced immune organ index, improved cell-mediated immune response, increased serum levels of cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-2) and immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, and IgM), as well as macrophage activities including carbon clearance and phagocytic index. AGR and AGS downregulated the expression of BAX and elevated the expression of Bcl-2, p-P38, p-JNK, and p-ERK in the spleens of CTX-injected animals. Compared to AGS, AGR significantly improved the number of CD4+CD8-T lymphocytes, the spleen index, and serum levels of IgA, IgG, TNF-α, and IFN-γ. The expression of the ERK/MAPK pathway was markedly increased. These findings support the hypothesis that AGR and AGS are effective immunomodulatory agents capable of preventing immune system hypofunction. Future research may investigate the exact mechanism to rule out any unforeseen effects of AGR and AGS.

Panax quinquefolius Polysaccharides Ameliorate Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhoea Induced by Lincomycin Hydrochloride in Rats via the MAPK Signaling Pathways.

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is an herbal medicine with polysaccharides as its important active ingredient. The purpose of this research was to identify the effects of the polysaccharides of P. quinquefolius (WQP) on rats with antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) induced by lincomycin hydrochloride. WQP was primarily composed of galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, and arabinose. The yield, total sugar content, uronic acid content, and protein content were 6.71%, 85.2%, 31.9%, and 2.1%, respectively. WQP reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the ileum and colon, reduced the IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-17A, and TNF-α levels, increased the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 in colon tissues, improved the production of acetate and propionate, regulated the gut microbiota diversity and composition, improved the relative richness of Lactobacillus and Bacteroides, and reduced the relative richness of Blautia and Coprococcus. The results indicated that WQP can enhance the recovery of the intestinal structure in rats, reduce inflammatory cytokine levels, improve short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels, promote recovery of the gut microbiota and intestinal mucosal barrier, and alleviate antibiotic-related side effects such as diarrhoea and microbiota dysbiosis caused by lincomycin hydrochloride. We found that WQP can protect the intestinal barrier by increasing Occludin and Claudin-1 expression. In addition, WQP inhibited the MAPK inflammatory signaling pathway to improve the inflammatory status. This study provides a foundation for the treatment of natural polysaccharides to reduce antibiotic-related side effects.

Effect of Aqueous Enzymatic Extraction of Deer Oil on Its Components and Its Protective Effect on Gastric Mucosa Injury.

In this study, deer suet fat was used as a raw material to study the effects of aqueous enzymatic extraction of deer oil on its components, followed by studies into the potential protective activity, and related molecular mechanisms of deer oil on ethanol-induced acute gastric mucosal injury in rats. The results show that aqueous enzymatic extraction of deer oil not only has a high extraction yield and has a small effect on the content of active ingredients. Deer oil can reduce total stomach injury. Without affecting the blood lipid level, it can reduce the oxidative stress, which is manifested by reducing the content of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and enhancing the activity level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). It also enhances the expression of defense factors prostaglandin (E2), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and somatostatin (SS), it inhibits apoptosis evidenced by the enhanced of Bcl-2 and decreased expression of cleavage of caspase-3 and Bax. At the same time, it reduces inflammation, which is manifested by reducing the expression of IL-1ß, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) gastric tissue pro-inflammatory cytokines, and enhancing the expression of anti-inflammatory factors IL-4 and IL-10, and inhibiting the mitogen-activated protein kinase/nuclear factor kappa B (MAPK/NF-κB) signaling pathway in gastric tissue.

[Impact Mechanisms of Carboxyl Group Modified Cathode on Acetate Production in Microbial Electrosynthesis Systems].

Microbial electrosynthesis systems (MESs) can convert carbon dioxide into added value compounds using microorganisms as catalyst, which is expected to help achieve conversion of greenhouse gases into resources. However, the synthetic efficiency of MESs is far behind the industry requirements. In this study, carbon cloth surfaces were bonded with carboxyl groups by electrochemical reduction of aryl diazonium salts and then used as a cathode in MESs reactors. The results showed that the hydrophilicity of the carbon cloth surfaces improved after the carboxyl groups were modified. However, weaker current of cyclic voltammetry was obtained in the modified cathode. Significant differences were observed between modified (CA-H, CA-M, CA-L) and non-modified cathode (CK) during the start-up period. After 48h, the hydrogen production rate of CA-H, CA-M, CA-L was 21.45, 28.60, and 22.75 times higher than CK. After 120h, the acetate accumulation concentration of CA-H, CA-M, CA-L was 2.01, 2.43, and 1.44 times higher than CK. After 324h, there was little difference in the electrochemical activity of cathodic biofilm and protein content (about 0.47 mg·cm-2) in all groups. The analysis of the community structure of cathodic biofilm showed that, in the genus level, Acetobacterium, Norank_p_Saccharibacteria, and Thioclava were the dominant species, accounting for 59.6% to 82.1%. There was little difference in the relative abundance of Acetobacterium in all groups (31.3% to 40.1%). However, the relative abundance of norank_p_Saccharibacteria in CA-H, CA-M, CA-L, and CK were 16.1%, 24.6%, 31.1%, and 37.5%, respectively. The carboxyl modified cathode had a great influence on the start-up stage of MESs, which could be a new idea for the rapid start-up of MESs.

[Sulfate Reduction and Microbial Community of Autotrophic Biocathode in Response to Externally Applied Voltage].

The removal efficiencies of environmental pollutants in a microbial electrolysis system (MES) with a biocathode are highly affected by the externally applied voltage. Although the cathode biofilm plays a key role in the pollution removal, its response to the applied voltage is still unknown. A two-chambered MES with a biocathode was constructed to study the impact of the different applied voltages (0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, and 0.8 V) on the sulfate reduction, extracellular polymer formation, and cathodic bacterial community. The results show that the current output and coulomb and COD removals of the MES are positively correlated with the applied voltage ranging from 0.4 to 0.8 V. The sulfate reduction rate first increases and then decreases with increasing voltage in the MES. The maximum sulfate reductive rate[78.9 g·(m3·d)-1] and maximum S2- production (31.9 mg·L-1±2.2 mg·L-1) were achieved at 0.7 V. The highest electron recovery efficiencies of the MES are 41.8%; hydrogen production may be a pathway leading to electron loss. The polysaccharide and protein contents of the cathode biofilm increase with increasing voltage. The cathode biomass at 0.8 V is 70% higher than that at 0.4 V. The high throughput sequencing results show that Proteobacteria and Dsulfovibrio are dominant in the cathodic microbial community at the phylum and genus levels, respectively. The relative abundance of Desulfovibrio shows little variation with the increasing voltage, indicating that Desulfovibrio is of advantage for using the cathode as electron donor for the respiratory metabolism. With the increasing voltage, the distribution of Desulfovibrio at species level indicates that the changes of Desulfovibriox magneticus RS-1 and s_unclassified_g_Desulfovibrio are contrary.

[Influence of substrate COD on methane production in single-chambered microbial electrolysis cell].

The chemical oxygen demand (COD) of substrate can affect the microbial activity of both anode and cathode biofilm in the single-chamber methanogenic microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). In order to investigate the effect of COD on the performance of MEC, a single chamber MEC was constructed with biocathode. With the change of initial concentration of COD (700, 1 000 and 1 350 mg x L(-1)), the methane production rate, COD removal and energy efficiency in the MEC were examined under different applied voltages. The results showed that the methane production rate and COD removal increased with the increasing COD. With the applied voltage changing from 0.3 to 0.7 V, the methane production rate increased at the COD of 700 mg x L(-1), while it increased at first and then decreased at the COD of 1000 mg x L(-1) and 1350 mg x L(-1). A similar trend was observed for the COD removal. The cathode potential reached the minimum (- 0.694 ± 0.001) V as the applied voltage was 0.5 V, which therefore facilitated the growth of methanogenic bacteria and improved the methane production rate and energy efficiency of the MEC. The maximum energy income was 0.44 kJ ± 0.09 kJ (1450 kJ x m(-3)) in the MEC, which was obtained at the initial COD of 1000 mg x L(-1) and the applied voltage of 0.5 V. Methanogenic MECs could be used for the treatment of wastewaters containing low organic concentrations to achieve positive energy production, which might provide a new method to recover energy from low-strength domestic wastewater.

[Characterization of biocatalysed sulfate reduction in a cathode of microbial electrolysis system].

In order to improve H2 utilization efficiency and to reduce energy consumption during the hydrogenotrophic sulfate reduction process, a two-chambered microbial electrolysis system (MES) with a biocathode was constructed. The performance of MES in terms of sulfate removal and the electron utilization was studied. With an applied voltage of 0.8 V, biocathode removed about 109.8 mg x L(-1) of SO4(2-) from the wastewater within 36 h of operation, and average reductive rate reached 73.2 mg x (L x d)(-1). The highest current density obtained from the MES was 50-60 A x m(-3). The total coulomb efficiency achieved in a cycle was (43.3 +/- 10.7)%, and around 90% of the effective electrons were used by the cathode bacteria for SO4(2-) reduction. During the operation of MES, the major products of SO4(2-) bio-reduction are sulfide and hydrogen sulfide. With an applied voltage of 0.4 V, both the SO4(2-) removal rate and electron output decreased compared with that of 0.8 V; however, the electric charge efficiency obtained by the MES increased and reached 70% when 0.4 V was applied. Meanwhile, ignorable H2 gas was detected at the end of the cycle, indicating bacteria might directly use cathode as the electron donor thus enhanced energy efficiency. The bacteria could use cathode of the MES as electron donor to reduce SO4(2-) effectively, which may provide a new method to lower energy consumption of the hydrogenotrophic sulfate reduction process, making advanced treatment for sulfate containing wastewater more affordable for practical applications.

[Effect of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on the vertical distribution of denitrifying genes in river sediments].

To establish the relationship between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and various stages of denitrification under denitrifying conditions in sediments, we examined the impact of PAHs on the vertical distribution of special denitrifying genes. In March of 2011, sediment samples were collected from three representative locations along the Pearl River. The characteristics of vertical distribution of PAHs as well as denitrifying genes in the sediment samples were analyzed. Based on these vertical characteristics, relationships between PAHs and special denitrifying genes (narG, nirS, nosZ and nrfA) were established using the multivariate method. Results of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed a close correlation between high ring PAHs and dissimilatory nitrate reduction. The impact of PAHs on nosZ was the most significant, namely PAHs imposed strong inhibition on the nitrite reduction stage. Except for the nitrite reduction stage, denitrifying bacteria from other stages of denitrification acclimatized themselves to the high ring PAHs. Especially, bacteria containing nrfA may have the potential to anaerobically degrade high ring PAHs. Besides this, the special role of nirS remains to be studied further.

[Impact of microbial aggregating agents on soil aggregate stability under addition of exogenous nutrients].

In this study, we investigated the effects of biological aggregating agents (fungal hyphae and microbial extracellular polysaccharides) soil aggregate (with different sizes) stability under addition of exogenous nutrients. The exogenous nutrients included glucose and ammonium nitrate. Experiments were conducted in a 30 d incubation period with three treatments: (1) the control (0.5 mg x g(-1) soil); (2) CN5 (0.5 mg x g(-1) soil, 0.1 mg x g(-1) soil, C/N = 5); (3) CN10 (0.5 mg x g(-1) soil, 0.05 mg x g(-1) soil, C/N = 10). Results showed that soil respiration rates were not significantly different among the three treatments, with maximums being about 3.10 mg x (h x kg)(-1), indicating that the impact of inorganic nitrogen fertilizer was not obvious in a short term. Aside from 5 d, macroaggregates amount of CK (15.67%) was observably lower than those of CN5 (25.32%) and CN10 (24.63%), there were no remarkable discrepancies among 3 treatments in other incubation period. The insignificant difference in the aggregate amounts among the three treatments suggested that the influence of glucose on microbial activities surpassed the inorganic nitrogen fertilizer in shortterm in the study.

[Factors affecting the DAPI fluorescence direct count in the tidal river sediment].

The factors affecting the DAPI (4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylidole) fluorescence direct count in the tidal river sediment were examined. Sediment samples were collected from the Guangzhou section of the Pearl River. Besides sediment texture and organic matter, an improved staining procedure and the involved parameters were analyzed. Results showed that the procedure with the sediment with 2000 fold dilution and ultrasonic water bath for 10 min, and with a final DAPI concentration of 10 microg x mL(-1) and staining time for more than 30 min produced the optimum results of DAPI direct count in the sediment. The total bacterial number was correlated to the proportion of the non-nucleoid-containing cells to the total bacterial number (r = 0.587, p = 0.004). The organic matter content also correlated to the ration. The clay content had a strong correlation with the organic matter, through which the clay content also affected the ratio. A multiple regression analysis between the ration versus the organic matter, the total bacterial number, and the clay content showed that the regression equation fit the measure values satisfactorily (r = 0.694). These results indicated that the above factors needed to be considered in the applications of the DAPI fluorescence direct counting method to the tidal river sediment.

[Electricity generation and quinoline degradation of pure strains and mixed strains in the microbial fuel cell].

Microbial flora composition of microbial fuel cells (MFC) is important to the electricity generation. Four bacterium strains Q1, b, c and d which represent all different morphology of culturable bacterium were isolated from a MFC using 200 mg x L(-1) quinoline as the fuel and operating for at least 210 days. Strains Q1, c and d were Pseudomonas sp. based on 16S rDNA sequence analysis, while strain b was Burkholderia sp. Double-chamber MFCs using 200 mg x L(-1) quinoline and 300 mg x L(-1) glucose as the fuel and potassium ferricyanide as the electron acceptor were constructed. Results showed that strain b, c and d were non-electrogenesis. The electrical charges of MFC inoculated electrogenesis strain Q1 with non-electrogenesis strain b, c and d respectively were 3.00, 3.57 and 5.13C, and the columbic efficiency were 3.85%, 4.59% and 6.58%, which were all lower than that inoculated with pure Q1, because of the interspecific competition of electrogenesis and non-electrogenesis bacteria. Combinations of Q1 with the other three strains respectively resulted in 100% of quinoline degradation rates within 24h, which is better than pure cultures, that is, mixed microbial populations perform better in MFC when complex organics are used as the fuel. GC/MS analyses showed that only 2(1H)-quinolinone and phenol existed in the effluent of the MFC, which was inoculated with only Q1 or mixed bacteria.

[Biosorption of Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) in aqueous solutions by fruiting bodies of macrofungi (Auricularia polytricha and Tremella fuciformis)].

Batch experiments were conducted to study the ability of fruiting bodies of Auricularia polytricha and Tremella fuciformis to adsorb Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solutions, including biosorption ability of the biomass to remove heavy metals from solutions with different concentrations, kinetics of adsorption, influence of co-cations, and biosorption affinity in multi-metalsystem. Results showed that in the solutions with individual metal, the maximum biosorption amounts of Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), Zn(II) by A. polytricha were 18.91, 18.69, 20.33, 12.42 mg x g(-1), respectively, and the highest removal rates for all cases were more than 85%. The maximum biosorption amounts of Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), Zn(II) by T. fuciformis were 19.98, 20.15, 19.16, 16.41 mg x g(-1), respectively, and highest removal rates for all cases were more than 75%. In the solutions with initial concentrations of 10, 50 and 100 mg x L(-1), the biosorption amounts increased but the removal rates decreased as the initial concentrations increasing. The pseudo-second-order reaction model described adsorption kinetics of heavy metal ions by fruiting bodies of A. polytricha and T. fuciformis better than the pseudo-first-order reaction model. In the solutions with multi metals, the biosorption amounts of heavy metals by two biosorbent were in the order of Ph(II) > Cd(II) > Cu(II) > Zn(II). The ions with more negative charges were preferential to be sorbed. The biosorption ability of A. polytricha was inhibited in multi-metal solutions. In multi-metal solutions, T. fuciformis sorbed a higher amount of Pb(II) but lower amounts of other three ions than that in the individual metal solutions. The results indicated that both fruiting bodies of A. polytricha and T. fuciformis were potential biosorbents.

[Power generation from glucose and nitrobenzene degradation using the microbial fuel cell].

By constructing a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC), experiments were carried out using an initial glucose concentration of 1 000 mg/L with different nitrobenzene (NB) concentrations (0, 50, 150 and 250 mg/L) as the MFC's fuel. Results showed that with an external resistance of 1 000 omega, the initial glucose concentration of 1 000 mg/L and the initial NB concentrations of 0, 50, 150, 250 mg/L, the operation periods were 55.7, 51.6, 45.9 and 32.2 h, respectively, the maximum voltage outputs were 670, 597, 507, and 489 mV, the maximum volumetric power densities were 28.57, 20.42, 9.29, and 8.47 W/m3, and the electric charges were 65.10, 43.50, 35.48, and 30.32 C. The MFC could use the NB and glucose mixtures as fuel and generated stable electricity outputs. The degradation rates of NB in the MFC in all cases reached up to 100% and COD removals in the MFC were 87% - 98%. However, the electricity generation was negligible when using 250 mg/L NB as the sole fuel. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles demonstrated that the presence of NB resulted in changes of the dominant bacterial species on the electrodes.

[Power generation from pyridine and glucose using microbial fuel cell].

Different organics have different effects on the power generation of microbial fuel cell. A packing-type MFC was constructed to investigate organic matter degradation and power generation. Experiments were conducted using an initial pyridine concentration of 500 mg/L with different glucose concentrations (500, 250, and 100 mg/L) as the MFC fuel. Results showed that maximum voltages decreased with the decrease of concentration of glucose and the maximum voltage was 623 mV. The cycle time were 49.5, 25.7, 25.2 h respectively. Correspondingly, the maximal volumetric power densities were 48.5, 36.2, 15.2 W/m3. Pyridine removal rate reached 95% within 24 h using MFC, which was not affected by concentration of glucose. Power generation using glucose was not affected in the presence of high concentration of pyridine. However, the phenomenon of electricity production was not obvious when using 500 mg/L pyridine as sole fuel. The results clearly demonstrated the feasibility of using the MFC to generate electricity when using pyridine and glucose mixture as fuel and simultaneously enhanced pyridine degradation.

[Isolation and characterization of electrochemical active bacterial Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain RE7].

Microbial components of the microbial fuel cells (MFCs), including species constitution and metabolic mechanism of the anodic microorganisms, are critical to the optimization of electricity generation. An electrogenesis baterium strain (designated as RE7) was isolated from an MFC that had been running in a fed batch mode for over one year. The isolate was identified as a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on its physiological, morphological characteristics and 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Direct electron transfer from RE7 to an electrode was examined using cyclic voltammetry and MFC. Results of both methods showed the electrochemical activity of the bacterium without any electrochemical mediator. The P. aeruginosa strain RE7 was inoculated into the anode chamber of a packing-type MFC and the maximal voltage output was 352 mV with 1 500 mg/L glucose as the fuel. Correspondingly, the maximal area and volumetric power densities were 69.2 mW/m2 and 6.2 W/m3, respectively. Bacteria-producing soluble redox mediators, such as phenazine derivatives, are possible mechanism to facilitate the direct electron transfer to the electrode from the bacterial cells.

[Comparison of power generation in microbial fuel cells of two different structures].

Low electricity productivity and high cost are two problems facing the development of microbial fuel cell (MFC). Comparative studies on electricity generation in MFCs of different designs while under the same conditions are important in enhancing the power output. Single-chamber MFC and dual-chamber MFC were constructed and acetate was used as the fuel. Power outputs in these MFC were compared side by side with a resistance of 1,000 Omega connected to each. Experimental results showed that the electricity was generated continuously and steadily in the MFCs. The average maximum output voltages obtained by the single-chamber and dual-chamber MFCs were 600 and 650 mV, respectively. The electric cycles were operated for 110 and 90 h for the single-chamber and dual-chamber MFCs, respectively. From the single-chamber and dual-chamber MFCs, the maximum area power densities were 113.8 and 382.4 mW/m2 respectively, and the maximum volumetric power densities were 1.3 and 2.2 mW/m3 respectively. The internal resistances of single-chamber and dual-chamber MFC were 188 and 348 Omega, respectively. Results indicated that the dual-chamber MFC had a better performance than the single-chamber MFC. The effective area of anode and the proton exchange membrane had a significant effect on the performance of MFCs.