Promising Antibiotic Biotransformation Research: Potential and Challenges of Coriolopsis gallica

This study reveals the unique role of Coriolopsis gallica in antibiotic biotransformation, particularly its efficient removal of tetracycline. It also highlights the risk that antibiotic degradation does not fully eliminate toxicity, offering novel insights and research directions for environmental microbial remediation.

 

Literature Overview
This article 'Biotransformation of Antibiotics by Coriolopsis gallica: Degradation of Compounds Does Not Always Eliminate Their Toxicity', published in the journal Antibiotics, reviews research progress on antibiotic treatment using white-rot fungi. It systematically analyzes biotransformation efficiency and toxicity changes for three antibiotics - tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and sulfonamide. The study evaluates C. gallica's degradation capabilities through high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet-mass spectrometry (HPLC-UV-MS) and antibacterial activity assays, while discussing its application potential in environmental remediation.

Background Knowledge
Antibiotic pollution has emerged as a critical global environmental and health issue due to its persistence in water and soil systems and its role in promoting antibiotic resistance gene dissemination. Conventional wastewater treatment plants struggle to effectively remove these contaminants, prompting researchers to explore efficient, sustainable bioremediation solutions. White-rot fungi have gained attention for their non-specific oxidase systems (e.g., laccase, peroxidase) in degrading aromatic pollutants. While some studies have demonstrated fungal degradation capabilities for various antibiotics, research on residual bioactivity after degradation remains limited. This study fills this knowledge gap by systematically evaluating C. gallica's biotransformation processes and toxicity changes for tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and sulfonamide, providing theoretical foundations for future fungal-based antibiotic treatment technologies.

 

 

Research Methods and Experiments
The study investigated Coriolopsis gallica's biotransformation capabilities for three antibiotics (tetracycline, chloramphenicol, sulfonamide) at 50 mg L−1 concentrations in both liquid and solid media. Antibiotic residues were analyzed on day 6 and day 12 using high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet-mass spectrometry (HPLC-UV-MS), while residual antibacterial activity was assessed through Escherichia coli diffusion assays. Laccase-like enzyme activity was monitored to elucidate its role in antibiotic degradation.

Key Conclusions and Perspectives

• Tetracycline was completely transformed by C. gallica within 6 days, with complete loss of antibacterial activity against E. coli in solid media.
• Chloramphenicol and sulfonamide showed degradation efficiencies of 20% and 16% respectively, but their antibacterial activities remained largely unchanged, indicating persistent toxicity.
• Antibiotic presence significantly induced laccase activity, suggesting enzymatic involvement in biotransformation, though other enzymes likely contribute to the process.
• HPLC-MS analysis revealed new low-molecular-weight fragments for tetracycline degradation products, indicating effective structural disruption, whereas chloramphenicol and sulfonamide degradation profiles showed residual parent compounds, demonstrating complex degradation pathways.

Research Significance and Prospects
This work expands understanding of C. gallica's antibiotic degradation capabilities while emphasizing that degradation does not equate to toxicity elimination. Future research should focus on identifying degradation intermediates, assessing ecological toxicity, and optimizing fungal treatment systems for improved antibiotic removal efficiency, particularly in multi-antibiotic environments.

 

 

Conclusion
This study represents the first systematic evaluation of Coriolopsis gallica's antibiotic biotransformation capacity. Results demonstrate complete tetracycline degradation with toxicity elimination, but incomplete degradation of chloramphenicol and sulfonamide with persistent toxic effects, suggesting potential generation of active metabolites during transformation. The observed correlation between laccase activity and degradation trends indicates enzymatic involvement, though further validation is required. This research establishes theoretical foundations for white-rot fungi applications in antibiotic pollution control while outlining critical future directions: elucidating degradation pathways, assessing ecological risks, and optimizing treatment systems.

 

Bouthaina Ghariani, Héla Zouari-Mechichi, Abdulrahman H Alessa, Ahmad A Alsaigh, and Tahar Mechichi. Biotransformation of Antibiotics by Coriolopsis gallica: Degradation of Compounds Does Not Always Eliminate Their Toxicity. Antibiotics.