Interest about the isolation and characterization of steroid-catabolizing bacteria has increased over time due to the massive release of these recalcitrant compounds and their deleterious effects or their biotransformation derivatives as endocrine disruptors for wildlife, as well as their potential use in biotechnological approaches for the synthesis of pharmacological compounds. Thus, in this chapter, an isolation protocol to select environmental bacteria able to degrade sterols, bile acids, and androgens is shown. Moreover, procedures for the determination of cholesterol oxidase or different hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activities in Pseudomonas putida DOC21, Rhodococcus sp. HE24.12, Gordonia sp. HE24.4J and Gordonia sp. HE24.3 are also detailed.
Keywords: 17β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; 3α-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; Androstanolone; Androstenedione; Catabolism; Cholesterol; Cholesterol oxidase; Cholic acid; Enzyme activity; Gordonia; Pseudomonas; Rhodococcus; Testosterone.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.