Glycosylation of bisphenol A by freshwater microalgae

BPA was metabolized to BPA glycosides by Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Scenedesmus acutus, Scenedesmus quadricauda, and Coelastrum reticulatum, and these metabolites were then released into the culture medium. The metabolite from P. subcapitata, S. acutus, and C. reticulatum was identified by FAB-MS and 1H-NMR as bisphenol A-mono-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (BPAGlc), and another metabolite, from S. quadricauda, was identified as bisphenol A-mono-O-β-d-galactopyranoside (BPAGal). These results demonstrate that freshwater microalgae that inhabit universal environments can metabolize BPA to its glycosides. Because BPA glycosides accumulate in plants and algae, and may be digested to BPA by β-glycosidase in animal intestines, more attention should be given to levels of BPA glycosides in the environment to estimate the ecological impact of discharged BPA.