Evidence of epoxide hydrase activity in human intestinal microflora.
Cholesterol-5 alpha, 6 alpha-epoxide has been implicated as an etiologic agent in  human colon cancer. The epoxide is metabolized by human intestinal microflora to a product which was characterized by thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography as well as combined gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Chromatographic properties are identical with authentic cholestan-3 beta, 5 alpha, 6 beta-triol, and these results suggest that microbial epoxide hydrase activity is present in the human colon.
D002777:Cholestanols / Q000378:metabolism; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D003106:Colon / Q000382:microbiology*; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000378:metabolism*; D004851:Epoxide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans
D002777:Cholestanols; C000474:cholestane-3,5,6-triol; C002415:cholesterol alpha-oxide; D002784:Cholesterol; D004851:Epoxide Hydrolases