Abstract
To evaluate the biodegradation potential of bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol F (BPF) in the seawater environment, biodegradation tests of these compounds were performed using seawater microbes obtained from various parts of Japan. BPA was biodegraded in 7 out of 11 seawater samples, and BPF was biodegraded in 4 out of 5 seawater samples, suggesting that biodegradation potentials of BPA and BPF distribute widely in the seawater environment. Multiple metabolites appeared during the biodegradation of BPA and BPF, and some of them seemed to be different from those detected in the biodegradation by previously reported BPA－ and BPF－degrading bacteria. Thus, biodegradation pathways of BPA and BPF by seawater microbes may include novel ones that are distinct from already－known pathways. Although 30 bacterial strains were isolated from enrichment cultures constructed from seawater samples with BPA biodegradation potential, none exhibited BPA－degrading ability. Similarly, only 2 of 19 strains isolated from enrichment cultures from seawater samples with BPF biodegradation potential showed BPF－degrading ability. Thus, most of BPA－ and BPF－degrading microbes in seawater may require certain nutrients or symbiotic relationship with other microbes for their growth on BPA and BPF, respectively. However, 2 BPF－degrading isolates included both gram－positive and gram－negative bacteria, suggesting the presence of taxonomically－diverse BPF－degrading bacteria in the seawater environment.
