“…The chemicals used were of analytical grade and were purchased from Mallinckrodt Baker, Merck, or Sigma-Aldrich. 3,17-Dihydroxy-9,10-seco-androsta-1,3,5(10)-triene-9-one, 3-hydroxy-9,10-seco-androsta-1,3,5(10)-triene-9,17-dione, 1-testosterone, androst-1-en-3,17-dione, 17-hydroxy-1-oxo-2,3-seco-androstan-3-oic acid (2,3-SAOA), and 1,17-dioxo-2,3-seco-androstan-3-oic acid were produced as described elsewhere (39,47). Sterolibacterium denitrificans DSMZ 13999 was purchased from the Deutsche Sammlung für Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen (DSMZ), Braunschweig, Germany.…”