Removal of estrogenic activity of natural steroidal hormone estrone by ligninolytic enzymes from white rot fungi

Natural steroidal hormone estrone (E-1) was treated with the white rot fungus Phanerochaete sordida YK-624 under ligninolytic condition with low-nitrogen and high-carbon culture medium. E-1 decreased by 98% after 5 d of treatment and the activities of ligninolytic enzymes, manganese peroxidase (MnP) and laccase, were detected during treatment, which suggested that the disappearance of E-1 is related to ligninolytic enzymes produced extracellularly by white rot fungus. Therefore, E-1 was treated with MnP and laccase prepared from the culture of white rot fungi. HPLC analysis demonstrated that E-1 disappeared completely in the reaction mixture after 1 h of treatment with either MnP or laccase. Using the yeast two-hybrid assay system, it was also confirmed that both enzymatic treatments completely removed the estrogenic activity of E-1 after 2 h. These results strongly suggest that ligninolytic enzymes are effective in removing the estrogenic activity of E-1. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.