Abstract
Styrene is produced in large quantities by the chemical industry, mainly as a starting material for synthetic polymers, such as polystyrene and styrene-butadiene rubber. It is also used as a solvent in the polymer processing industry. Styrene is presumably also formed in the environment from natural precursors, such as cinnamic acid. An obvious pathway for styrene formation would be the transformation of phenylalanine to cinnamic acid, followed by decarboxylation to styrene. Mammalian metabolism of styrene has been studied very extensively in view of the intensive industrial use of styrene and its possible toxic and carcinogenic properties. Conclusive proof of anaerobic styrene degradation is still lacking, but in view of the recent developments in the field of the anaerobic degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons. An interesting aspect, from an ecological point of view, could be the comparison of the kinetic parameters of strains containing styrene monooxygenase with strains that attack styrene via a dioxygenase.
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