Xenobiotic
A xenobiotic is a chemical substance found within an organism that is not naturally produced or expected to be present within the organism. It can also cover substances that are present in much higher concentrations than are usual. Natural compounds can also become xenobiotics if they are taken up by another organism, such as the uptake of natural human hormones by fish found downstream of sewage treatment plant outfalls, or the chemical defenses produced by some organisms as protection against predators.[1] The term xenobiotic is also used to refer to organs transplanted from one species to another.
The term xenobiotics, however, is very often used in the context of pollutants such as
Xenobiotic metabolism
The body removes xenobiotics by
Although the body is able to remove xenobiotics by reducing it to a less toxic form through xenobiotic metabolism then excreting it, it is also possible for it to be converted into a more toxic form in some cases. This process is referred to as
Organisms can also
Xenobiotics in the environment
Xenobiotic substances are an issue for sewage treatment systems, since they are many in number, and each will present its own problems as to how to remove them (and whether it is worth trying to)
Some xenobiotics substances are resistant to degradation. Xenobiotics such as
Microorganisms may be a viable solution to this issue of environmental pollution by the degradation of the xenobiotics; a process known as bioremediation.[9] Microorganisms are able to adapt to xenobiotics introduced into the environment through horizontal gene transfer, in order to make use of such compounds as energy sources.[8] This process can be further altered to manipulate the metabolic pathways of microorganisms in order to degrade harmful xenobiotics under specific environmental conditions at a more desirable rate.[8] Mechanisms of bioremediation include both genetically engineering microorganisms and isolating the naturally occurring xenobiotic degrading microbes.[9] Research has been conducted to identify the genes responsible for the ability of microorganisms to metabolize certain xenobiotics and it has been suggested that this research can be used in order to engineer microorganisms specifically for this purpose.[9] Not only can current pathways be engineered to be expressed in other organisms, but the creation of novel pathways is a possible approach.[8]
Xenobiotics may be limited in the environment and difficult to access in areas such as the subsurface environment.[8] Degradative organisms can be engineered to increase mobility in order to access these compounds, including enhanced chemotaxis.[8] One limitation of the bioremediation process is that optimal conditions are required for proper metabolic functioning of certain microorganisms, which may be difficult to meet in an environmental setting.[7] In some cases a single microorganism may not be capable of performing all metabolic processes required for degradation of a xenobiotic compound and so "syntrophic bacterial consortia" may be employed.[8] In this case, a group of bacteria work in conjunction, resulting in dead end products from one organism being further degraded by another organism.[7] In other cases, the products of one microorganisms may inhibit the activity another, and thus a balance must be maintained.[8]
Many xenobiotics produce a variety of biological effects, which is used when they are characterized using bioassay. Before they can be registered for sale in most countries, xenobiotic pesticides must undergo extensive evaluation for risk factors, such as toxicity to humans, ecotoxicity, or persistence in the environment. For example, during the registration process, the herbicide, cloransulam-methyl was found to degrade relatively quickly in soil.[10]
Inter-species organ transplantation
The term xenobiotic is also used to refer to
See also
Drug metabolism – Xenobiotic metabolism is redirected to the special case: Drug metabolism.
References
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- ^ .
- doi:10.1021/jf9503570.)
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