Aminoglycosides are toxic to sensory hair cells (HCs). Macroautophagy/autophagy is an essential and highly conserved self-digestion pathway that plays important roles in the maintenance of cellular function and viability under stress. However, the role of autophagy in aminoglycoside-induced HC injury is unknown. Here, we first found that autophagy activity was significantly increased, including enhanced autophagosome-lysosome fusion, in both cochlear HCs and HEI-OC-1 cells after neomycin or gentamicin injury, suggesting that autophagy might be correlated with aminoglycoside-induced cell death. We then used rapamycin, an autophagy activator, to increase the autophagy activity and found that the ROS levels, apoptosis, and cell death were significantly decreased after neomycin or gentamicin injury. In contrast, treatment with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or knockdown of autophagy-related (ATG) proteins resulted in reduced autophagy activity and significantly increased ROS levels, apoptosis, and cell death after neomycin or gentamicin injury. Finally, after neomycin injury, the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine could successfully prevent the increased apoptosis and HC loss induced by 3-MA treatment or ATG knockdown, suggesting that autophagy protects against neomycin-induced HC damage by inhibiting oxidative stress. We also found that the dysfunctional mitochondria were not eliminated by selective autophagy (mitophagy) in HEI-OC-1 cells after neomycin treatment, suggesting that autophagy might not directly target the damaged mitochondria for degradation. This study demonstrates that moderate ROS levels can promote autophagy to recycle damaged cellular constituents and maintain cellular homeostasis, while the induction of autophagy can inhibit apoptosis and protect the HCs by suppressing ROS accumulation after aminoglycoside injury.

In this work, simultaneous generation of hydroxyl radical (•OH) and sulfate radical (SO4•−) by the reaction of ozone (O3) with peroxymonosulfate (PMS; HSO5−) has been proposed and experimentally verified. We demonstrate that the reaction between the anion of PMS (i.e.,SO52−) and O3 is primarily responsible for driving O3 consumption with a measured second order rate constant of (2.12 ± 0.03) × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1). The formation of both •OH and SO4•− from the reaction between SO52− and O3 is confirmed by chemical probes (i.e., nitrobenzene for •OH and atrazine forb oth •OH and SO4•−). The yields of •OH and SO4•− are determined to be 0.43 ± 0.1 and 0.45 ± 0.1 per mol of O3 consumption, respectively. An adduct,−O3SOO− + O3 → −O3SO5−, is assumed as the first step, which further decomposes into SO5•− and O3•−. The subsequent reaction of SO5•− with O3is proposed to generate SO4•−, while O3•− converts to •OH. A definition of R(ct,•OH) and R(ct,SO4•−) (i.e., respective ratios of •OH and SO4•− exposures to O3 exposure) is adopted to quantify relative contributions of •OH and SO4•−. Increasing pH leads to increases in both values of R(ct,•OH) and R(ct,SO4•−) but does not significantly affect the ratio of R(ct,SO4•−) to R(ct,•OH) (i.e., R(ct,SO4•−)/R(ct,•OH)), which represents the relative formation of SO4•− to •OH. The presence of bicarbonate appreciably inhibits the degradation of probes and fairly decreases the relative contribution of •OH for their degradation, which may be attributed to the conversion of both •OH and SO4•− to the more selective carbonate radical (CO3•−).Humic acid promotes O3 consumption to generate •OH and thus leads to an increase in the R(ct,•OH) value in the O3/PMS process,w hile humic acid has negligible influence on the R(ct,SO4•−) value. This discrepancy is reasonably explained by the negligible effect of humic acid on SO4•− formation and a lower rate constant for the reaction of humic acid with SO4•− than with •OH. In addition, the efficacy of the O3/PMS process in real water is also confirmed.

In this work, the early stage aggregation kinetics of manganese dioxide (MnO2) colloids in aqueous solution and the effects of constituents of natural organic matter (i.e., Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA), Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA), alginate, and bovine serum albumin (BSA)) were investigated by time-resolved dynamic light scattering. MnO2 colloids were significantly aggregated in the presence of monovalent and divalent cations. The critical coagulation concentrations were 28, 0.8, and 0.45 mM for NaNO3, Mg(NO3)2, and Ca(NO3)2, respectively. The Hamaker constant of MnO2 colloids in aqueous solution was 7.84 × 10(-20) J. All the macromolecules tested slowed MnO2 colloidal aggregation rates greatly. The steric repulsive forces, originated from organic layers adsorbed on MnO2 colloidal surfaces, may be mainly responsible for their stabilizing effects. However, the complexes formed by alginate and Ca(2+) (>5 mM) might play a bridging role and thus enhanced MnO2 colloidal aggregation instead. These results may be important for assessing the fate and transport of MnO2 colloids and associated contaminants.

No abstract

The extensive use of bromophenols (BrPs) in industrial products leads to their occurrence in freshwater environments. This study explored the oxidation kinetics of several BrPs (i.e., 2-BrP, 3-BrP, 4-BrP, 2,4-diBrP, and 2,6-diBrP) and potential formation of brominated polymeric products of concern during water treatment with potassium permanganate [Mn(VII)]. These BrPs exhibited appreciable reactivity toward Mn(VII) with the maxima of second-order rate constants (kMn(VII)) at pH near their pKa values, producing bell-shaped pH-rate profiles. The unusual pH-dependency of kMn(VII) was reasonably explained by a tentative reaction model, where the formation of an intermediate between Mn(VII) and dissociated BrP was likely involved. A novel and powerful precursor ion scan (PIS) approach was used for selective detection of brominated oxidation products by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Results showed that brominated dimeric products such as hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) and hydroxylated polybrominated biphenyls (OH-PBBs) were readily produced. For instance, 2'-OH-BDE-68, one of the most naturally abundant OH-PBDEs, could be formed at a relatively high yield possibly via the coupling between bromophenoxyl radicals generated from the one-electron oxidation of 2,4-diBrP by Mn(VII). Given the altered or enhanced toxicological effects of these brominated polymeric products compared to the BrP precursors, it is important to better understand their reactivity and fate before Mn(VII) is applied by water utilities for the oxidative treatment of BrP-containing waters.

In this work, the most widely used brominated flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A (TBrBPA) was shown to exhibit appreciable reactivity toward potassium permanganate [Mn(VII)] in water over a wide pH range of 5-10 with the maxima of second-order rate constants (kMn(VII) = 15-700 M(-1) s(-1)) at pH near its pKa values (7.5/8.5). A novel precursor ion scan (PIS) approach using negative electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (ESI-QqQMS) was adopted and further optimized for fast selective detection of brominated oxidation products of TBrBPA by Mn(VII). By setting PIS of m/z 79 and 81, two major products (i.e., 4-(2-hydroxyisopropyl)-2,6-dibromophenol and 4-isopropylene-2,6-dibromophenol) and five minor ones (including 2,6-dibromophenol, 2,6-dibromo-1,4-benzoquinone, and three dimers) were detected and suggested with chemical structures from their product ion spectra and bromine isotope patterns. Reaction pathways mainly involving the initial one-electron oxidation of TBrBPA and subsequent release and further reactions of 2,6-dibromo-4-isopropylphenol carbocation intermediate were proposed. The effectiveness of Mn(VII) for treatment of TBrBPA in real waters was confirmed. It is important to better understand the reactivity and toxicity of primary brominated products before Mn(VII) can be applied for treatment of TBrBPA-contaminated wastewater and source water.

No abstract

Atg7 is an indispensable factor that plays a role in canonical nonselective autophagy. Here we show that genetic ablation of Atg7 in outer hair cells (OHCs) in mice caused stereocilium damage, somatic electromotility disturbances, and presynaptic ribbon degeneration over time, which led to the gradual wholesale loss of OHCs and subsequent early-onset profound hearing loss. Impaired autophagy disrupted OHC mitochondrial function and triggered the accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria that would otherwise be eliminated in a timely manner. Atg7-independent autophagy/mitophagy processes could not compensate for Atg7 deficiency and failed to rescue the terminally differentiated, non-proliferating OHCs. Our results show that OHCs orchestrate intricate nonselective and selective autophagic/mitophagy pathways working in concert to maintain cellular homeostasis. Overall, our results demonstrate that Atg7-dependent autophagy plays a pivotal cytoprotective role in preserving OHCs and maintaining hearing function.