Isolation and characterization of human intestinal bacteria capable of transforming the dietary carcinogen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine

The in vitro conversion of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) into its microbial derivative by fecal samples from human volunteers is examined. Abiotic synthesis of PhIP-M1 and quantification of the glycerol metabolite 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA) has shown that the anaerobic fermentation of glycerol via 3-HPA is the critical bacterial transformation process responsible for the formation of PhIP-M1.