Endocrine Abstracts

Oxidative stress is a principle cause of the development of aging and diseases such as inflammation, infection, cancer, and cardiovascular disorders ^1–3. Steroids are used as progestational, anabolic, antitumor agents, oral contraceptives and sedatives. Hydroxylated estrogens are important therapeutic agents used in the treatment of breast tumors etc. However, synthesis of these hydroxylated estrogens is difficult to achieve. We have investigated a bacterial transformation of these hormones and achieved many new hydroxylated estrogens. This paper reviews the newly biotrasnformed sex hormones by a thermophylic bacteria Bacillus stearothermophilus isolated from Kuwait oil fields. Bacillus stearothermophilus, when incubated with exogenous progesterone for 10 days at 65 °C produced two monohydroxylated, two dihydroxy isomers of progesterone and a B-Seco compound. Microbial hydroxylation of 17β-estradiol resulted in the formation of estrone. Addition of some inducers resulted in the formation of two metabolites of 17β-estradiol which were identified as 3,6β,17β-trihydroxy estra-1,3,5,14(10)-tetrene and 3-carboxylic estra-1,3,5,8,14(10)-ene-6,17-dione. Antioxidant activities of progesterone transformed mixture and purified metabolites of 17β-estradiol were studied by linoleic acid/ β-carotene assay that showed enhanced antioxidant activity for progesterone transformation products. A comparison was made between antioxidant activity of progesterone and 17β-estradiol transformation products.

References

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3. Finkel T & Holbrook NJ. Oxidants, oxidative stress and the biology of aging. Nature 2000 408 239–247.