Cytocidal and filamentous response of Escherichia coli cells exposed to low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical scavengers.

The hydroxyl radical scavengers thiourea, ethanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide significantly reduced the killing of Escherichia coli elicited by low concentrations of H2O2 (resulting in mode 1 killing) when treatments with the oxidant and the scavengers were performed in a complete growth medium (K medium) but not in M9 salts. In addition, thiourea efficiently prevented the toxic response to high concentrations of H2O2 (resulting in mode 2 killing) under both exposure conditions. Sod A cells, which do not respond with a bimodal pattern of toxicity when challenged with increasing concentrations of H2O2, were markedly protected by thiourea against the lethal action of various levels of the oxidant (which in the wild-type strain result in either mode 1 or mode 2 killing) under conditions of treatments in both K medium and M9 salts. In some experiments, wild-type cells were challenged with a low concentration of H2O2 (in the absence or presence of hydroxyl radical scavengers) and then postincubated in fresh K medium for various time intervals. It was found that scavengers were able to inhibit the filamentous response generated by exposure to the oxidant in K medium. Both the length and the number of filaments were markedly reduced. Treatment in M9 salts resulted in a limited number of very short filaments, and this response was slightly reduced by the scavengers.