The degradation of paracetamol (4-hydroxyacetanilide) and other substituted acetanilides by a Penicillium species.

A mould which was isolated from a solution of paracetamol was identified as a Penicillium species and was found to possess the ability to utilise a series of substituted acetanilides, including paracetamol (4-hydroxyacetanilide), phenacetin (4-ethoxyacetanilide) and metacetamol (3-hydroxyacetanilide) as sole carbon sources for growth. Studies with washed-cell suspensions indicated that growth of the Penicillium isolate in the presence of paracetamol induced the respective enzyme systems for the degradation of this compound. Manometric studies measuring oxygen uptake rates, indicated that the mould was capable of degrading paracetamol to acetate and 4-aminophenol. Acetate was further metabolised whilst 4-aminophenol accumulated in the growth medium and was subsequently i-entified by UV spectroscopy and thin-layer chromatography. Similar experiments with phenacetin indicated metabolism by the mould to acetate and 4-ethoxyaniline which was isolated and identified by subsequent analysis of the growth medium. However, unlike 4-aminophenol and 4-ethoxyaniline, the degradation product (3-aminophenol) from metacetamol metabolism was further degraded by the mould.