Enzymatic treatment of estrogens and estrogen glucuronide

Natural and synthetic estrogens from sewage treatment systems are suspected to influence the reproductive health of the animals in the rivers. In this article, we investigated the enzymatic treatment of three estrogens (estrone, 17β-estradiol, and 17α-ethynyletstradiol) by a fungal laccase which oxidize phenolic compounds with dissolved oxygen. The elimination of the estrogenic activities by enzymatic oxidation was demonstrated by medaka vitellogenin assay. In addition, we developed an enzymatic treatment system comprised of β-D-glucuronidase and the laccase for 17β-estradiol 3-(β-D-glucuronide) degradation. The two enzymes eliminated 17β-estradiol 3-(β-D-glucuronide) and the intermediate, 17β-estradiol, efficiently.