Microbial Biotransformation of Cannabidiol (CBD) from Cannabis sativa

Microbial biotransformation of cannabidiol was assessed using 31 different microorganisms. Only Mucor ramannianus (ATCC 9628), Beauveria bassiana (ATCC 7195), and Absidia glauca (ATCC 22 752) were able to metabolize cannabidiol. M. ramannianus (ATCC 9628) yielded five metabolites, namely, 7,4″β-dihydroxycannabidiol (1), 6β,4″β-dihydroxycannabidiol (2), 6β,2″β-dihydroxycannabidiol (3), 6β,3″α-dihydroxycannabidiol (4), and 6β,7,4″β-trihydroxycannabidiol (5). B. bassiana (ATCC 7195) metabolized cannabidiol to afford six metabolites identified as 7,3″-dihydroxycannabidivarin (6), 7-hydroxycannabidivarin-3″-carboxylic acid (7), 3″-hydroxycannabidivarin (8), 4″β-hydroxycannabidiol (9), and cannabidivarin-3″-carboxylic acid (10) along with compound 1. Incubation of cannabidiol with A. glauca (ATCC 22 752) yielded three metabolites, 6α,3″-dihyroxycannabidivarin (11), 6β,3″-dihyroxycannabidivarin (12), and compound 6. All compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial and antiprotozoal activity.

Biotransformation of a major beer prenylflavonoid – isoxanthohumol

Microbial transformations of isoxanthohumol (1), a beer prenylated flavonoid, by 51 fungi were investigated. Many of the tested fungi cultures were capable of effective transformation of 1. Mucor hiemalis and Fusarium oxysporum converted isoxanthohumol (1) into isoxanthohumol 7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (3) and (2R)-2″-(2″′-hydroxyisopropyl)-dihydrofurano[2″,3″:7,8]-4″,5-hydroxy-5-methoxyflavanone (4), respectively. No product was obtained in the transformation of 1 by Absidia glauca conducted in a phosphate buffer. In the same medium, Beauveria bassiana converted isoxanthohumol (1) to isoxanthohumol 7-O-β-d-4″′-O-methylglucopyranoside (2).

Complete Mitochondrial DNA Sequence of the Mucoralean Fungus Absidia glauca , a Model for Studying Host-Parasite Interactions

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Absidia glauca has been completely sequenced. It is 63,080 bp long, has a G+C content of 28%, and contains the standard fungal gene set. A. glauca is the recipient in a laboratory model for horizontal gene transfer with Parasitella parasitica as a donor of nuclei and mitochondria.