Microbial degradation of nicotine-N'-oxide. I. Degradation products.

Abstract

Bacteria degrading nicotine-N′-oxide were isolated from tobacco leaves and soil of tobacco field. The bacterial metabolites from nicotine-N′-oxide were identified to be N′- methylmyosirune and 4′-keto-4′-(3-pyridyl)butylic acid, and four unidentified compounds were present. Accumulation of N′-methylmyosmine in the cultured medium reached 43%, in quantity of the initial substrate on the third day of culture. On the other hand, nicotine was far more slowly degraded by the same bacteria, and the first metabolite was identified to be 6-hydroxynicotine and the second to be 6-hydroxy-N′-methylmyosmine, suggesting that nicotine and its oxide are metabolized in different pathways.