Metabolism of Xenobiotics by Strains of Intestinal Bacteria

Abstract:The metabolism of some xenobiotic compounds when incubated with strains of intestinal bacteria has been studied. The reactions included: 1) glucuronide hydrolysis, 2) glucoside hydrolysis, 3) sulphate ester hydrolysis, 4) glycine conjugate hydrolysis, 5) N‐acetyl derivative hydrolysis, 6) amide hydrolysis, 7) ester hydrolysis, 8) dehydroxylation, 9) decarboxylation, 10) double bond reduction, 11) nitro reduction, 12) azo reduction and 13) heterocyclic ring scission. The results showed that strains of the following test microorganisms were able to carry out the indicated reactions to varying degrees:Str. faecalis(4, 11, 12),E. coli(1, 11, 12),Lactobacillus(2, 10, 11, 12),Bacillus(9, 11, 12),Ps. aeruginosa(12),Pr. vulgaris(2, 10, 11, 12), A. aerogenes (2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 13), Clostridium (10, 11, 12)and Bacteroides(1, 11, 12). These results are discussed in relation to earlier findings on the metabolism of xenobiotics by members of the intestinal microflora.