Biotransformation of N-acetylphenothiazine by fungi.

Cultures of the fungi Aspergillus niger, Cunninghamella verticillata, and Penicillium simplicissimum, grown in a sucrose/peptone medium, transformed N-acetylphenothiazine to N-acetylphenothiazine sulfoxide (from 13% to 28% of the total) and phenothiazine sulfoxide (from 5% to 27%). Phenothiazin-3-one (4%) and phenothiazine N-glucoside (4%) were also produced by C. verticillata. The probable intermediate, phenothiazine, was detected only in cultures of P. simplicissimum (6%).