Background:Desulfovibrio desulfuricans intestinal bacteria may contribute to toxic hydrogen sulfide production in the human gut. Our objective was to examine whether the D. desulfuricans strains isolated from the human body are susceptible to sulfasalazine (SAS) and the products of its biotransformation, i.e. 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and sulfapyridine (SP), in order to determine the relationship between the strains’ susceptibility to SAS and their ability to reduce the azo bond within this drug.
Material/Methods: Six wild strains of D. desulfuricans (isolated from feces and biopsy specimens from patients with colitis ulcerosa, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, colonic diverticula, primary biliary cirrhosis, or tubular adenomas of the colon) were cultured in the presence of SAS, 5-ASA, and SP. Growth inhibition coefficients were compared with coefficients of inhibition of the azo-bond reduction in SAS.
Results: The D. desulfuricans strains present in the human digestive tract were susceptible to a small degree to SAS and to 5-ASA and SP.
Conclusions: The intestinal D. desulfuricans strains differed in their susceptibility to SAS and its biotransformation products. The strains showing higher susceptibility to SAS lost the ability to reduce the azo bond in this drug, which may be attributed to the lower metabolic activity of the bacteria. The presence of D. desulfuricans in the large intestines of patients with ulcerative colitis and the confirmed diversity of the biological activity of the isolated strains demonstrate the need for clinical examination of the role of these bacteria in the development of some inflammatory disorders.

Keywords: Biotransformation, Cell Division - drug effects, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans - cytology, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans - drug effects, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans - physiology, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, Intestines - microbiology, Mesalamine - pharmacology, Sulfapyridine - pharmacology, Sulfasalazine - metabolism, Sulfasalazine - pharmacology, Biotransformation, Cell Division - drug effects, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans - physiology, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, Intestines - microbiology, Mesalamine - pharmacology, Sulfapyridine - pharmacology, Sulfasalazine - pharmacology