POTENTIAL TOXICITY OF PYOVERDIN FROM PSEUDOMONAS ON MOUSE LIVER

Pseudomonas fluorescens were isolated from food and water. Bacterial strains were grown on synthetic medium and pyoverdin was purified with Fe³⁺. Iron was removed from some samples with 8-hydroxyquinoline to obtain free-pyoverdin. Purification was performed by chloroform/phenol, diethylether/water extractions, column chromatography and silica gel slabs. Mice were given water with pigment for prolonged periods to study the chronic effect on liver. Alanine amino transferase (ALT) and Aspartate amino transferase (AST) increased significantly in animals treated with pyoverdin-Fe, free-pyoverdin and heated pyoverdin. Sex dependence was not observed. The effect on hepatic enzymes was also studied employing chromatographic peaks separately and mixed. Analyses of variance for statistical evaluation was applied. Controls treated withpyoverdin-negative culture extract did not show amino transferase's increase. It was found that prolonged ingestion of pyoverdin can affect hepatic enzymes in mice.