title: The effect of the corticosteroid hormone cortexolone on the metabolites produced during phenanthrene biotransformation in Cunninghamella elegans.
abstract: The metabolism of phenanthrene and the mammalian corticosteroid hormone cortexolone by the fungus Cunninghamella elegans was studied. The amounts of the cortexolone transformation products, cortisol and epicortisol, were affected by the presence of phenanthrene. Approximately 40% more cortisol was produced by C. elegans in cultures with phenanthrene. In contrast, epicortisol formation decreased. C. elegans transformed phenanthrene to phenanthrene trans-1,2-,3,4-, and 9,10-dihydrodiols, phenols, diphenols (diols) and glucoside conjugates of 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 9-phenanthrols. Almost all of the phenanthrene initially added was metabolized to ethyl acetate extractable metabolites. In the mycelia and culture medium extracts, phenanthrol glucosides represented 80% and 94% of the total metabolites, respectively. The major metabolite was the glucoside conjugate of 1-phenanthrol. The presence of cortexolone affected the biodegradation of phenanthrene by decreasing the amounts of phenanthrene metabolites compared to control cultures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland. katalis@biol.uni.lodz.pl
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lisowska
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Długoński
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Carl E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Cerniglia
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001711:Biotransformation; D003350:Cortodoxone / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020093:Cunninghamella / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010616:Phenanthrenes; C031181:phenanthrene; D003350:Cortodoxone