Oxidative stress on anaerobes

A strict anaerobe, Prevotella melaninogenica is highly sensitive to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress such as exposure to oxygen or addition of hydrogen peroxide, increased 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (80HdG), a typical of oxidative DNA damage, and decreased the bacterial cell survival rate. We could detect the generation of reactive oxygen species in P. melaninogenica after exposure to oxygen. UVA irradiation also increased 80HdG in the bacterium. On the other hand, such oxidative stress did not increase 80HdG in a facultative anaerobe. These findings suggest that P. melaninogenica is a suitable material to study the biological effects of oxidative stress, to evaluate antioxidants, and to study the effects of oxygen or reactive oxygen species on molecular evolution.