Beta-glucuronidase and beta-glucosidase activity of Lactobacillus and Enterococcus isolated from human feces.

The domination of microorganisms characterized by excessive activity of the so-called fecal enzymes may be one of the reasons of the large intestine cancers. These enzymes are mainly those that belong to the hydrolase and reductase classes and their excessive activity may lead to disorders in the functioning of the digestive tract. The aim of tise research was to determine the activity of beta-glucuronidase and beta-glucosidase of Lactobacillus and Enterococcus strains isolated from the feces of healthy children, aged 1 and 8, and adults, aged 30 and 80. The analysis included 10 strains isolated from the feces of individuals in each of the age groups. beta-glucuronidase activity in the case of the isolates from children, depending on the strain, equaled from about 0.15 mM/h/mg of protein to 0.26 mM/h/mg of protein and was lower, respectively, by 52.35% and 57.81%, than the beta-glucosidase activity. Simultaneously, the activity of the Lactobacillus enzymes from children was 2.4 times higher, and in case of the isolates obtained from adults they were 4.6 and 2.7 times higher than the activity of the Entercoccus enzymes. The highest beta-glucuronidase activity was observed in Lactobacillus isolates coming from an 80-year-old subject. The differences between the activity of Enterococcus beta-glucuronidase isolated from the feces of 1 and 8 year old children were statistically insignificant. On the other hand, in the case of the subjects aged 30 and 8 the isolates were characterized by activity lower by, respectively. 48% and 37% than the isolates coming from children. The highest beta-glucosidase activity was discovered in the case of Lactobacillus and Enterococcus coming from children, which was higher by 32% than the activity of the isolates from adult persons. Therefore, it was determined that the activity of beta-glucuronidase of Lactobacillus strains isolated from feces from people aged 80 was the highest, and the isolates of the examined microorganisms coming from children were characterized by the highest beta-glucosidase activity.