N-Acetyl cysteine improves cellular growth in respiratory-deficient yeast

• Published in: Brazilian journal of microbiology Vol. 53; no. 2; pp. 791 - 794
• Main Authors: Chapela, Sebastián P., Burgos, Hilda I., Stella, Carlos A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.06.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acetylcysteine; Acetylcysteine - pharmacology; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell viability; Cellular manufacture; Clinical Microbiology - Short Communication; Complex media; Cysteine; Fluorescence; Food Microbiology; Life Sciences; Medical Microbiology; Microbial Ecology; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Mycology; Oxidative Stress; Phenotypes; Reactive Oxygen Species; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Strain; Yeast; Yeasts; Antioxidant effect; Yeast; Reactive oxygen species (ROS)
• ISSN: 1517-8382; 1678-4405
• DOI: 10.1007/s42770-022-00705-5

Background Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a main factor that alters cellular physiology and functionality. Many strategies are used in order to control excessive oxidative stress. One strategy includes the use of antioxidants like N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). The aim of this study was to compare the effect of this antioxidant on ROS production and cellular growth of a wild-type and a respiratory-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain. Methods Using a simple system such as yeast allows oxidative stress investigations on which numerous factors are more manageable or circumscribed than in a higher organism. We grew cells in a complex medium and incubated them during 72 h. Later, cellular viability and ROS production was evaluated. ROS level was estimated by use of fluorescence signal with 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA). Results As it is found in the present work, a reducing environment exerted by NAC presence during incubation of the cells allows a respiratory-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain to improve its cellular growth. Conclusions It seems likely that the energy production or the phenotype which characterizes a deficient strain is incapable of palliating ROS growth inhibition while NAC helps to overcome this limitation.