Abstract:Steroid estrogens (SEs) in the environment are a new type of pollutants that have attracted much attention. They can endanger the health of organisms and affect the homeostasis of ecosystems by interfering with the normal synthesis, transport, and release of hormones in the body. Microbial degradation is a core strategy for reducing environmental SEs and lowering their environmental pollution risks. Uncovering more potential SEs-degrading bacteria and exploring their degradation products, metabolic pathways, and key catabolic genes can not only enrich the functional microbial resource library but also break through the basic research bottlenecks that restrict the application of microorganisms. This article reviews the characteristics of typical SEs and provides an overview of microbial resources with SEs-degrading efficacy, the patterns of microbial metabolism of SEs, and the mainstream pathways. Taking 17β-estradiol (E2) as the target substance, this article details the strategies and molecular mechanisms of E2 catabolism in several classic SEs-degrading bacteria and summarizes the potential commonalities and differences in microbial E2 metabolism. This review is expected to provide theoretical guidance for the research and development of remediation enhancement technology for SE pollution based on microbial degradation.
