Xenobiotics from Water to the Gut: Monitoring Environmental BPA and Assessing Its Gut Bacterial Tolerance for Health Risk and Biodetoxification

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitous endocrine-disrupting compound present in numerous environmental compartments due to its extensive industrial use in plastics. Its widespread distribution enables infiltration into the anthropogenic water cycle and food contamination, facilitating bioaccumulation through the food chain and raising concerns about chronic low-dose human exposure via drinking water and dietary sources. Since ingestion represents a major exposure route, the gut microbiota constitute one of the first metabolic and biological barriers for this xenobiotic. Therefore, understanding gut bacterial bioreactions and responses to BPA is essential for a comprehensive risk assessment.

This study bridges environmental monitoring with microbiological assessment by knowledge transfer to analyse BPA concentrations in river and wastewater samples while evaluating the interaction capacities of key bacterial isolates from human gut microbiota. Several microbiota species were cultured and exposed in vitro to concentrations of BPA, simulating and encompassing environmental levels detected in water samples, as well as elevated experimental doses to establish tolerance thresholds. Microbial growth dynamics and degradation responses were monitored to determine dose-dependent profiles and identify the strains with better BPA biodegradation capacity.

Our findings revealed that selected bacterial strains from different genera exhibited differential tolerance profiles and metabolising capacities for BPA, representing promising taxa candidates for BPA detoxification strategies. This approach integrates environmental risk assessment with toxicomicrobiomics, emphasising the importance of incorporating microbiome-related mechanisms within the One Health framework for xenobiotic risk assessment and the development of microbiome-based solutions.