Antioxidative Enzyme Responses to Antimony Stress of Serratia marcescens - an Endophytic Bacteria of Hedysarum pallidum Roots

Studies on bacterial endophytes resistant to antimony (Sb), a pollutant deemed alarming, are virtually non-existent. An endophytic bacterial strain showing resistance to high antimony concentrations was isolated for the first time from the roots of Hedysarum pallidum Desf., a Sb accumulator Fabacea growing on mining spoils. With the combined use of morphological, biochemical and molecular methods, the isolated strain was identified as Serratia marcescens species. It showed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to its growth at 450 mM of Sb. In the presence of excessive concentrations of Sb, corresponding to 30 mM of Sb, i.e., 3652.8 mg/L of Sb, the strain maintained important growth compared to the control. The Sb toxicity caused a significant increase (p<0.05) in the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) amount and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The oxidative stress induced significant increases (p<0.05) in the strain antioxidant biomarkers such as proline, catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Significant and positive correlations (p<0.05) were found between oxidative and antioxidant biomarkers and between antioxidant biomarkers, highlighting the interrelationships between them in oxidative stress fighting. Results show an important adaptation of the strain to high Sb levels that can be used in the Sb-contaminated soils bioremediation.