Metabolism of Coumarin by a Micro-organism

Abstract

THE microbiological utilization of coumarin has not been examined extensively although coumarin is a natural constituent of many plants and, ultimately, therefore of soil. Bellis¹, however, did isolate from soil two species of Penicillium moulds which grew slowly on coumarin ; but no derivatives could be identified in the external medium. In higher animals coumarin metabolism, prompted by reports of liver damage in the dog and rat², has been investigated. Metabolic products identified in the urine when coumarin was fed to rabbits and rats have included 3-, 7-, and 8-hydroxycoumarins, melilotic, o-hydroxyphenyl-acetic and o-coumaric acids^3,4. Similarly in the plant, Melilotus alba, degradation products of coumarin have been identified as melilotic acid and glucosides of melilotic, coumarinic and o-coumaric acids^5,6.