Journal article
Free Radicals and Chemiluminescence as Products of the Spontaneous Oxidation of Sulfide in Seawater, and Their Biological Implications
The Biological bulletin, Vol.196(1), pp.52-56
02/01/1999
DOI: 10.2307/1543166
PMCID: PMC4295652
PMID: 25575385
Abstract
The discovery of symbioses between marine invertebrates and sulfide-oxidizing bacteria at deep-sea hydrothermal vents and in other high-sulfide marine environments has stimulated research into the adaptations of metazoans to potentially toxic concentrations of sulfide. Most of these studies have focused on a particular action of sulfide—its disruption of aerobic metabolism by the inhibition of mitochondrial respiration—and on the adaptations of sulfide-tolerant animals to avoid this toxic effect (1). We propose that sulfidic environments impose another, hitherto overlooked type of toxicity: exposure to free radicals of oxygen, which may be produced during the spontaneous oxidation of sulfide, thus imposing an oxidative stress. Here we present evidence that oxygen- and sulfur-centered free radicals are produced during the oxidation of sulfide in seawater, and we propose a reaction pathway for sulfide oxidation that is consistent with our observations. We also show that chemiluminescence at visible wavelengths occurs during sulfide oxidation, providing a possible mechanism for the unexplained light emission from hydrothermal vents (2, 3).
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Free Radicals and Chemiluminescence as Products of the Spontaneous Oxidation of Sulfide in Seawater, and Their Biological Implications
- Creators
- David W. Tapley - University of MaineGarry R. Buettner - University of MaineJ. Malcolm Shick - University of Maine
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Biological bulletin, Vol.196(1), pp.52-56
- DOI
- 10.2307/1543166
- PMID
- 25575385
- PMCID
- PMC4295652
- NLM abbreviation
- Biol Bull
- ISSN
- 0006-3185
- eISSN
- 1939-8697
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/01/1999
- Academic Unit
- Radiation Oncology
- Record Identifier
- 9984313086802771
Metrics
47 Record Views