Metabolic Responses of Enterococcus Faecium to Bisphenol A (An Endocrine Disruptor Chemical)

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA), a putative endocrine disruptor, may be taken up by humans via the diet and have adverse effects on human health. In this study, we evaluated the response of E.faecium, predominant lactic acid bacteria of the intestine, to Bisphenol A, a constituent of epoxy and polystyrene resins that is used extensively in the food packaging industry and dentistry. Significant reduction in log cfu of E.faecium i.e. 32% and 42.5% was observed in the media containing 40μg/ml and 50μg/ml of Bisphenol A, respectively. Further Bisphenol A treated E.faecium was studied for its survival after passage through artificial saliva, gastric and intestinal juice and was found to be tolerant to gastric and intestinal transit. Also, since adhesion is an important attribute for gut intrinsic flora to exert their beneficial effects, BATH test was conducted to observe the change in cell surface hydrophobicity of Bisphenol A treated E.faecium compared to untreated E.faecium.