Efficiency of the intestinal bacteria in the degradation of the toxic pesticide, chlorpyrifos

Abstract

Chlorpyrifos (CP) is the most commonly used pesticide throughout the world. Its widespread use in agriculture and its potential toxicity to humans from ingestion of CP contaminated food have raised concerns about its risk to health. Human intestinal microflora has the ability to degrade pesticides, but the exact mechanisms involved and the metabolite end-products formed are not well understood. The primary objective of this work was to analyse the in vitro degradation of CP by five model intestinal bacteria namely Lactobacillus lactis, L. fermentum, L. plantarum, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis. Plate assay results revealed that L. lactis, E. coli and L. fermentum could grow with high concentrations of CP (>1,400 μg/mL), whereas E. faecalis and L. plantarum could grow with concentrations as low as 400 and 100 μg/mL, respectively. The best three CP degraders were therefore used in further experiments. The degradation of CP-induced organophosphorous phosphatase (OPP) production and that OPP concentration were higher in the supernatant (extracellular) rather than inside the cells by factor of up to 28. L. fermentum degraded 70 % CP with 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) detected as the end product. L.lactis degraded up to 61 % CP with chlorpyrifos oxon detected as the end product, whereas E.coli degraded a lesser concentration (16 %) to chlorpyrifos-oxon and diethylphosphate.

Gut microbial degradation of organophosphate insecticides-induces glucose intolerance via gluconeogenesis

“…OPs are biodegradable by the microbes [16] and xenobiotics were also reported to alter the gut microbiome and influence the physiology and pathology of mammals [22, 23]. Hence, in the present study we analyzed the influence of gut microbiome in OP-induced glucose dyshomeostasis.…”

“…However, various animal [8–10] and human studies [11–14] have uncovered the association between OP exposure and diabetic prevalence. OP-metabolizing microbes have been identified in soil and other environments [15] and intestinal bacteria were proven to degrade OP [16]. Exposure to chronic OPs induces gut microbial dysbiosis [17] and intestinal dysfunctions [18].…”

Changes in Composition and Function of Human Intestinal Microbiota Exposed to Chlorpyrifos in Oil as Assessed by the SHIME® Model

“…Despite this difference, the results generated by the two techniques suggested that exposure to CPF-oil treatment did not have a significant impact on LAB in general and lactobacilli in particular. It has been reported that LAB isolated from the intestine [47] and from a Korean food preparation [48] were able to use CPF as a source of carbon and phosphate. Joly et al (2013) reported a decrease in the number of lactobacilli in a similar in vitro model of the human gut [28].…”

Chlorpyrifos: pollution and remediation

“…Interaction of bacterial phosphotriesterase with organophosphates has long been accepted as a useful biosensor system for decontamination of real samples of pesticides with concentrations up to 20 lg L -1 . Chlorpyrifos induced organophosphorous phosphatase (OPP) production and degradation of chlorpyrifos was reported by Harishankar et al (2013) in the intestinal bacteria Lactobacillus lactis, L. fermentum, and Escherichia coli which were able to grow even at higher concentration of chlorpyrifos (greater than 1400 lg mL -1 ).…”