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Investigating the Growth of Algae Under Low Atmospheric Pressures for Potential Food and Oxygen Production on Mars.

ABSTRACT: With long-term missions to Mars and beyond that would not allow resupply, a self-sustaining Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS) is essential. Algae are promising candidates for BLSS due to their completely edible biomass, fast growth rates and ease of handling. Extremophilic algae such as snow algae and halophilic algae may also be especially suited for a BLSS because of their ability to grow under extreme conditions. However, as indicated from over 50 prior space studies examining algal growth, little is known about the growth of algae at close to Mars-relevant pressures. Here, we explored the potential for five algae species to produce oxygen and food under low-pressure conditions relevant to Mars. These included Chloromonas brevispina, Kremastochrysopsis austriaca, Dunaliella salina, Chlorella vulgaris, and Spirulina plantensis. The cultures were grown in duplicate in a low-pressure growth chamber at 670 ± 20 mbar, 330 ± 20 mbar, 160 ± 20 mbar, and 80 ± 2.5 mbar pressures under continuous light exposure (62-70 μmol m^-2 s^-1). The atmosphere was evacuated and purged with CO₂ after sampling each week. Growth experiments showed that D. salina, C. brevispina, and C. vulgaris were the best candidates to be used for BLSS at low pressure. The highest carrying capacities for each species under low pressure conditions were achieved by D. salina at 160 mbar (30.0 ± 4.6 × 10⁵ cells/ml), followed by C. brevispina at 330 mbar (19.8 ± 0.9 × 10⁵ cells/ml) and C. vulgaris at 160 mbar (13.0 ± 1.5 × 10⁵ cells/ml). C. brevispina, D. salina, and C. vulgaris all also displayed substantial growth at the lowest tested pressure of 80 mbar reaching concentrations of 43.4 ± 2.5 × 10⁴, 15.8 ± 1.3 × 10⁴, and 57.1 ± 4.5 × 10⁴ cells per ml, respectively. These results indicate that these species are promising candidates for the development of a Mars-based BLSS using low pressure (∼200-300 mbar) greenhouses and inflatable structures that have already been conceptualized and designed.

SUBMITTER: Cycil LM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8633435 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Cultured rat liver endothelial cells were incubated with 1 and 2 mM spermineNONOate at different O2 concentrations in the incubation atmosphere. (Z)-1-{N-[3-Aminopropyl]-N-[4-(3-aminopropylammonio) butyl]-amino}diazen-1-ium-1,2- diolate (spermineNONOate), at 2 mM, was highly cytotoxic at 21% and 95% O2 (as measured by lactate dehydrogenase release); more than 80% of the cells were damaged after 6 h of incubation. Cytotoxicity induced by 2 mM spermineNONOate was significantly decreased at 10%, 5% and 0% O2; cell death was 54%, 36% and 25% respectively after 6 h of incubation. In contrast, 1 mM spermineNONOate was almost non-toxic towards the cells. Only at 95% O2 was a slight damaging effect, of 25%, observed. The nitric oxide (.NO) concentrations released from 1 and 2 mM spermineNONOate were determined as varying between 5 and 12 microM and between 12 and 22 microM respectively as measured by the oxyhaemoglobin and the NO cheletropic spin-trapping methods. The decomposition rate of spermineNONOate and the resulting .NO concentrations were independent of O2 at all applied concentrations. Likewise, the steady-state concentrations of H2O2 remained at approx. 1 nM at all O2 concentrations, as measured with the fluorescent dye scopoletin. L-Tyrosine and L-ascorbate, both of which are known to scavenge reactive nitrogen species, markedly diminished spermineNONOate-induced cytotoxicity at 95% O2. The formation of 3-nitrotyrosine, indicating the reaction of L-tyrosine with nitrogen dioxide (.NO2) and/or peroxynitrite anions, was enhanced in incubations with spermineNONOate at 21% and 95% O2. The results demonstrate that at O2 partial pressures typically found under physiological conditions and at .NO concentrations that can occur in vivo, .NO alone is almost non-toxic towards cultured rat liver endothelial cells. .NO at these concentrations in vivo, however, exerts toxic effects at supraphysiological O2 partial pressures, owing to its oxidation to reactive nitrogen species such as .NO2.

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Investigating the Growth of Algae Under Low Atmospheric Pressures for Potential Food and Oxygen Production on Mars.

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