2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) is a carcinogenic heterocyclic aromatic amine formed in meat products during cooking. Although the formation of hazardous PhIP metabolites by mammalian enzymes has been extensively reported, research on the putative involvement of the human intestinal microbiota in PhIP metabolism remains scarce. In this study, the in vitro conversion of PhIP into its microbial derivate, 7-hydroxy-5-methyl-3-phenyl-6,7,8,9-tetrahydropyrido[3,2:4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidin-5-ium chloride (PhIP-M1), by fecal samples from 18 human volunteers was investigated. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that all human fecal samples transformed PhIP but with efficiencies ranging from 1.8 to 96% after 72 h of incubation. Two PhIP-transforming strains, PhIP-M1-a and PhIP-M1-b, were isolated from human feces and identified by fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism and pheS sequence analyses as Enterococcus faecium strains. Some strains from culture collections belonging to the species E. durans, E. avium, E. faecium, and Lactobacillus reuteri were also able to perform this transformation. Yeast extract, special peptone, and meat extract supported PhIP transformation by the enriched E. faecium strains, while tryptone, monomeric sugars, starch, and cellulose did not. Glycerol was identified as a fecal matrix constituent required for PhIP transformation. Abiotic synthesis of PhIP-M1 and quantification of the glycerol metabolite 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA) confirmed that the anaerobic fermentation of glycerol via 3-HPA is the critical bacterial transformation process responsible for the formation of PhIP-M1. Whether it is a detoxification is still a matter of debate, since PhIP-M1 has been shown to be cytotoxic toward Caco-2 cells but is not mutagenic in the Ames assay.Diet is a major risk factor in human cancer (14). Epidemiological studies indicate that the consumption of cooked meat and meat products predisposes individuals to neoplastic disease, particularly of the colon (13). Cooked muscle meats contain potent genotoxic carcinogens belonging to the heterocyclic aromatic amine (HAA) class of chemical compounds (31). Of the 19 heterocyclic amines identified so far, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) is the most mass-abundant heterocyclic amine produced during the cooking of beef, pork, and chicken (15, 40). Experimentally, PhIP is a potent mutagen and genotoxin and has been shown to produce mammary gland, prostate, and colon tumors in rats (23, 39). For humans, less is known about the potential role of PhIP and related heterocyclic amines in tumor development. Several studies have shown that individuals who eat "well-done" meat have an increased risk of breast (52) and colorectal (18) cancers.To determine the potential health risks associated with heterocyclic amines, several dietary studies have been conducted on the metabolism and disposition of these compounds in humans. So far, most investigations have focused on the activation and ...