Cadmium bioremoval from water by probiotics in simulated microgravity and Mars gravity

Earth's gravity is one of the forces that constantly affects living organisms. It's changes can affect organisms behavior and performance. Study of such effects can lead to the discovery of new practical methods. Heavy metal toxicity have a lot of risks to human health. They sometimes act as a pseudo element of the body and they may even interfere with metabolic processes. Cadmium as one of the most hazardous heavy metals, cause defects in DNA repair following the induction of oxidative stress, DNA damage and may lead to cancer. Several methods have been introduced to remove heavy metals from drinking water. Bioremoval by probiotic is one of these safe methods. In this study Lactobacillus acidophilus effect on cadmium bioremoval was measured in microgravity and Mars gravity conditions. The results demonstrated that the 24-hour water treatment by L. acidophilus removed 43.77% of the cadmium concentration in the Earth gravity, 54.74% under microgravity and 54.84% in Mars gravity. Statistical analysis showed that L. acidophilus was effective in cadmium bioremoval and this ability was maintained even with gravity changes. Therefore, this bacterium can be used to remove heavy metal pollution during space missions in order to maintain the health of astronauts.