Delineating acetaminophen biodegradation kinetics and metabolomics using bacterial community.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Microbiology
• Bioremediation
• Pharmaceutical Pollution

Background:

• Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely used analgesic and a growing environmental concern due to its persistence.
• Increasing APAP levels in ecosystems pose risks to human health and environmental balance.
• Effective methods for APAP removal are crucial to mitigate its ecological impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and identify APAP-degrading bacteria from pharmaceutical-contaminated environments.
• To evaluate the efficiency of isolated bacterial strains in APAP biodegradation.
• To understand the kinetics and metabolic pathways of APAP degradation.

Main Methods:

• Screening and isolation of APAP-degrading bacteria from contaminated sites.
• Molecular identification using 16S rRNA sequencing.
• Quantification of APAP degradation using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
• Kinetic analysis using Michaelis-Menten model.
• Metabolite identification via Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).

Main Results:

• Bacterial isolates were identified belonging to genera: Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Paracoccus, Agrobacterium, Brucella, Escherichia, and Enterobacter.
• Paracoccus sp. and Enterobacter sp. demonstrated high APAP degradation, removing up to 88.96% and 85.92% of 300 mg L⁻¹ APAP within 8 days.
• Michaelis-Menten kinetics confirmed the significant degradation potential of these isolates.
• Key metabolites identified include 4-aminophenol, hydroquinone, and 3-hydroxy-2,4-hexadienedioic.

Conclusions:

• Native bacterial strains, particularly Paracoccus and Enterobacter species, are effective in degrading acetaminophen.
• These findings provide a basis for developing bioremediation strategies using indigenous bacteria for APAP-contaminated sites.
• The study highlights the potential of natural augmentation processes for environmental cleanup of pharmaceutical pollutants.