Abstract
Methoxychlor [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-methoxyphenyl)ethane], a substitute for 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT), is a compound of environmental concern because of potential long-term health risks related to its endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic potency. In order to determine the metabolic fate of methoxychlor and DDT in the human intestinal gut, Eubacterium limosum (ATCC 8486), a strict anaerobe isolated from the human intestine that is capable of O-demethylation toward O-methylated isoflavones, was used as a model intestinal microbial organism. Under anaerobic incubation conditions, E. limosum completely transformed methoxychlor and DDT in 16 days. Based on gas chromatography–mass chromatography analyses, the metabolites produced from methoxychlor and DDT by E. limosum were confirmed to be 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-methoxyphenyl)ethane (methoxydichlor) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDD), respectively. This study suggests that E. limosum in the human intestinal gut might be a participant in the reductive dechlorination of methoxychlor to the more antiandrogenic active methoxydichlor.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. R. A. Kanaly at Kyoto University, Japan for editorial comments. This work was supported by grants from the MOST/KOSEF to the Environmental Biotechnology National Core Research Center (grant No. R15-2003-012-02002-0) of Korea and the Sustainable Water Resources Research Center of 21st Century Frontier R&D program through the Center for Water Research at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in Korea.
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Yim, YJ., Seo, J., Kang, SI. et al. Reductive Dechlorination of Methoxychlor and DDT by Human Intestinal Bacterium Eubacterium limosum Under Anaerobic Conditions. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 54, 406–411 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-007-9044-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-007-9044-y