Degradation of Xenobiotics by Bacteria and Fungi: An Overview

Abstract

This review addresses the persistence, breakdown, and microbial transformation of xenobiotics. The prevalence of xenobiotics in our environment has emerged as a critical concern, given their inherent resistance to degradation. These compounds can endure for extensive periods, often spanning decades. Approaches encompassing physicochemical and biological facets have been deployed to dismantle xenobiotics, allowing for their safe disposal. The influx of synthetic chemicals from human activities has elevated their levels significantly beyond natural thresholds in the ecosystem. Remarkably, microorganisms in the environment possess the capacity to biodegrade natural compounds, yet their efficacy varies when it comes to xenobiotics. Multiple factors, such as concentration, pH, temperature, water availability, nutrient availability, and the presence of alternative organic compounds, shape the degradation kinetics of xenobiotics. These intriguing compounds are amenable to unique microbial processing due to the diverse array of enzymes at the microbes? disposal. This symbiotic interaction often leads to nutrient and energy exchange between the exogenous compound and the microbial host. Xenobiotics can undergo metabolic transformations with structurally analogous substrates. Microbes exhibit the ability to conjugate xenobiotics with standard cellular metabolites. A range of microorganisms, including Cellulosimicrobium, Microbacterium, Candida, Sphingobium, Micrococcus, Methanospirillum, Alcaligenes, Aeromonas, Flavobacterium, Rhodococcus, Streptomyces, and fungal genera, such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Rhodotorula, and Aureobasidium, have been extensively studied for their xenobiotic degradation potential in various environmental niches, encompassing soil, and water environments.. KEYWORDS :Bacteria, Biotransformation, Degradation, Fungi, Microorganisms, Toxicity, Xenobiotics