Research progress on the mechanism of bacterial degradation of bisphenols

Abstract:

Bisphenols (BPs) are widely distributed in nature due to their extensive use as important components in industrial raw materials and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). The ecological risks caused by BPs as estrogen-like hormones have aroused global concerns. Significant progress has been achieved in the microbial degradation of BPs as researchers have isolated a variety of bacterial strains or consortia via different approaches. This review summarizes relevant recent studies, focusing on key bisphenol A (BPA)-degrading genes in different pathways of degradation. The enzymes in the same pathways and their modes of action are compared in detail, and the effects of these enzymes on BPA degradation are analyzed. We review the research progress on the degradation of BPs by bacteria and discuss the future research directions on the mechanism and application of bacterial degradation of BPs.