Oxidation of Endocrine Disrupting Chemical by Trametes versicolor Laccase

There is longstanding environmental concern regarding endocrine disrupting chemicals and wastewater treatment facilities’ inability to remove them. Estrogens in particular, including 17 β-estradiol, 17 α-ethynylestradiol, and bis-phenol A, have been reported to depress cortisol levels and cause development of intersexual gonads in fish, along with various additional disruptions to the endocrine system in animals and humans. This study turns its focus to white rot fungus, Trametes versicolor, as a potential bioremediation strategy to eliminate estrogenic activity in wastewater, due to its broad substrate specificity and capability of EDC oxidation. EDC oxidation was characterized by measuring the rate of EE2 oxidation through monitoring oxygen depletion, and the metabolic products of laccase-catalyzed oxidation are studied using mass spectrometry. Previously unidentified high-order polymers were noted, providing additional insight into the laccase-catalyzed mechanism. The efficacy of oxidation of EDCs by laccase present in culture filtrate from Oak Mountain State Park samples was tested in parallel to purchased purified TvL functionality. The results of this study confirm TvL as an optimal choice for EDC remediation applications.