Metabolism of 1,4-dinitro-2-methylpyrrole, a mutagen formed by a sorbic acid-nitrite reaction, by intestinal bacteria.

Y Z Shu, D G Kingston, R L Van Tassell, T D Wilkins

Department of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg 24061-0212.

Environmental and molecular mutagenesis 1991

filter terms:

1,4-Dinitro-2-methylpyrrole (DNMP), a mutagenic product formed by the interaction of two common food additives, sorbic acid and sodium nitrite, was transformed to 1-nitro-2-methyl-4-aminopyrrole (NMAP) by human fecal mixtures and various intestinal bacterial strains. Under anaerobic conditions the cell suspensions of Actinomyces, Bacteroides, Clostridium, Eubacterium, Fusobacterium, and Peptostreptococcus spp. demonstrated the nitroreduction activity. Under aerobic conditions, only Actinomyces and Bacteroides spp. showed activity, and this was at a decreased level. In cell suspensions of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron VPI 5482, NAD(P)H and glucose accelerated the reduction rate, whereas dicoumarol and heat significantly inhibited the rate, and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and flavin mononucleotide (FMN) did not affect the rate. With cell-free preparations of the same strain, reduction required NAD(P)H as a cofactor in a dose-dependent fashion and was inactivated by air and heat.

Citation

Y Z Shu, D G Kingston, R L Van Tassell, T D Wilkins. Metabolism of 1,4-dinitro-2-methylpyrrole, a mutagen formed by a sorbic acid-nitrite reaction, by intestinal bacteria. Environmental and molecular mutagenesis. 1991;17(3):181-7