Metabolism of Pentachlorophenol in Cell Suspension Cultures of Soybean and Wheat: Pentachlorophenol Glucoside Formation

Abstract

The metabolism of pentachlorophenol (PCP) was studied in soybean (Glycine max L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cell suspension cultures during the linear growth period. PCP was primarily converted to conjugated forms. One of the main conjugates was identified by GC/MS as the ß-D-glucoside of PCP. Relatively non-polar metabolites like anisoles and lower chlorinated phenols could not be detected. In soybean cultures PCP-β-D-glucoside accumulated in the medium. The experimental data do not indicate that it is a final product of PCP metabolism. The addition of increasing amounts of PCP or PCP-glucoside to the nutrient solution of soybean cultures showed that the glucoside was significantly less toxic than the original compound. PCP conjugates were mainly formed during the linear growth period and the lag phase of soybean cell suspension cultures. The formation of PCP conjugates could also be demonstrated in vitro. Non-extractable residues were produced in high amounts (34–39% of the applied radioactivity) in wheat cultures.