Modification of progesterone and testosterone by a food-borne thermophile Geobacillus kaustophilus.
The present work was carried out to study structural modification of steroids by Geobacillus kaustophilus, a bacterial thermophile present in milk and the environment. Incubation of progesterone and testosterone with G. kaustophilus at 65 degrees C resulted in oxygenated steroid nuclei. The oxygenation of the steroid molecule was stereo specific. Seven metabolites of progesterone horizontal line 6beta/6alpha-hydroxytestosterone, 20-hydroxyprogesterone, 6beta-/6alpha-20-dihydroxyprogesterone, 5alpha-pregnane-3,6,20-trione, and 3beta-hydroxy-5alpha-pregnane-6,20-dione horizontal line were identified. Four compounds horizontal line namely, 66-/6--hydroxytestosterone and 6beta/6alpha-hydroxyandrostenedione horizontal line and androst-4-en-3,17-dione were identified as testosterone metabolites. This shows that G. kaustophilus is capable of modifying steroid nuclei at elevated temperatures. G. kaustophilus is a stable thermophile first isolated from milk. Our results show that endogenous steroids present in milk can be modified by G. kaustophilus, causing detrimental effect on human health.
Al-Tamimi
Safa
S
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
Al-Awadi
Sameera
S
Oommen
Sosamma
S
Afzal
Mohammad
M
D000818:Animals; D005516:Food Microbiology; D056506:Geobacillus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism*
D013739:Testosterone; D011374:Progesterone; D010100:Oxygen