Assessment of Bacteria Pseudomonas Putida Acclimation Varying Concentrations of Fluoride: An In-Depth Study
The contamination of water resources with fluoride poses significant environmental and health risks, necessitating effective remediation strategies. Fluoride is Janus-faced situation as it possesses beneficial effects if consumed in optimum level. If the exposure to fluoride beyond the optimum level and for longer duration can causes serious health issues like fluorosis. Therefore, removal of fluoride from the contaminated water with the help of bacteria is need of the hour. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of acclimating indigenous bacteria for enhanced fluoride removal through adaptive tolerance mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate the growth response and acclimation potential of Pseudomonas putida under varying fluoride concentrations, with the goal of assessing its suitability for fluoride bioremediation applications. A frozen culture of P. putida obtained from MTCC was revived on nutrient agar and subsequently cultivated in nutrient broth supplemented with increasing concentrations of fluoride. Growth kinetics were monitored spectrophotometrically (OD600) over a 48-hour period under different nutrient concentrations. The impact of fluoride on growth phases, metabolic activity, and cell viability was analysed to evaluate the bacterium’s adaptability and tolerance mechanisms. In fluoride-free conditions, P. putida exhibited a short lag phase followed by rapid exponential growth, indicating favourable nutrient availability. At low fluoride concentrations, growth patterns remained largely unaffected, demonstrating tolerance to mild stress. However, higher fluoride levels led to reduced growth, an early onset of stationary phase, and accelerated cell death, highlighting fluoride’s metabolic toxicity. Notably, nutrient-rich media mitigated these inhibitory effects, suggesting that availability of carbon and nitrogen sources supports bacterial stress adaptation. The findings demonstrate that P. putida can adapt to fluoride stress, particularly under nutrient-rich conditions, making it a promising candidate for bioremediation of fluoride-contaminated water. Acclimation strategies and optimized media conditions could enhance its potential application in bioreactor-based water treatment systems, offering a sustainable and eco-friendly solution to a global problem.