Biodegradation of the Antibiotic Doxycycline by Bacteria from the Gastrointestinal Tract of Cucurbit Beetles (Diabrotica speciosa)

Author(s)

Karen Susana M. Madera ^[1] ; Luis Guillermo C. Durango ^[2] ; Orfa Ines C. Martínez ^[3] ; Maria Fátima G. F. da Silva ^[4] ; João B. Fernandes ^[5] ; Moacir R. Forim ^[6]

Affiliation

^[1] Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Progama de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia - Brasil

^[2] Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Progama de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia - Brasil

^[3] Universidad de Córdoba. Departamento de Biología - Colômbia

^[4] Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Departamento de Química - Brasil

^[5] Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Departamento de Química - Brasil

^[6] Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Departamento de Química - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society; v. 35, n. 5 2024-02-26.

Abstract

Antibiotics can contaminate the environment as a result of improper disposal. The induction of doxycycline in the environment could give rise to lineages of the cucurbit beetle Diabrotica speciosa containing resistant endosymbiotic microorganisms, giving rise to bacterial strains capable of biodegrading these antibiotic residues. This work determined the relationship between the intestinal microbiota of D. speciosa and its ability to biodegrade an antibiotic. Bacterial strains of Enterobacter cloacae and Stenotrophomonas maltophila isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of D. speciosa were evaluated for the biodegradation of doxycycline. An analytical method for the extraction and quantification of doxycycline by high-efficiency liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) was developed and applied to monitor the biodegradation rates during bacterial growth for nutrient and nutrient-deficient media, both supplemented with the antibiotic. Degradation kinetics showed a decrease in antibiotic concentration after 96 h in saline medium, with recoveries of 63.1 and 87.7% for E. cloacae and S. maltophilia, respectively. Two degradation products were then identified and characterized from the liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry data after bioassays with E. cloacae. The gastrointestinal tract of insects such as D. speciosa can be a source of useful microbes for biotechnological processes such as the biodegradation of exogenous organic compounds in the environment. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/50918-7 - INCT 2014: for the Biorational Control of Pest-Insect and Phytopathogens
• Grantee: Maria Fátima das Graças Fernandes da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants