Ethanol induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and autophagy in Wickerhamomyces anomalus

Wickerhamomyces anomalus, a flavor-modulating non-Saccharomyces yeast used in winemaking, experiences escalating ethanol stress during fermentation, yet the physiological and structural consequences remain unclear. This study assessed responses to 9% (v/v) ethanol stress with and without exogenous antioxidants (10 mM N-acetylcysteine and 2.5 mM glutathione) by measuring: reactive oxygen species (ROS) via fluorescence staining; superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities plus glutathione content colorimetrically; mitochondrial membrane potential using rhodamine 123; ultrastructure via transmission electron microscopy; electron transport chain complex activities and ATP levels colorimetrically; and autophagy via monodansylcadaverine staining. Results indicated ethanol exposure induced ROS overproduction and oxidative stress while concurrently activating SOD and catalase activities and increasing GSH. Furthermore, ethanol reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, inhibited electron transport chain activity, decreased ATP synthesis, and triggered autophagy. Conversely, antioxidant supplementation alleviated oxidative damage, restored mitochondrial function, suppressed autophagy, and enhanced cell viability. These findings elucidate ethanol’s mechanistic toxicity in yeast and provide a foundation for developing antioxidant-enhanced, ethanol-tolerant W. anomalus strains for industrial fermentation.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Microbial Cell Factories

• Publication date

  2025-11-12

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Chemistry, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1186/s12934-025-02864-0PMID 41225547PMCID 12613665
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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