Paeonol promotes arylamine N-acetyltransferase activity in the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae

Arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activities with 2-aminofluorene (2-AF) were determined in the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae by using high pressure liquid chromatography. Cytosols or suspensions of K. pneumoniae with or without specific concentrations of paeonol co-treatment showed different percentages of 2-AF acetylation. The data indicated that there was increased NAT activity associated with increased levels of paeonol in K. pneumoniae cytosols and intact bacteria. For the cytosolic examination, the apparent values of K m and V max increased 0.29- and 0.67-fold after being co-treated with 40 μM paeonol, respectively, for 2-AF. For the intact bacterial examination, the apparent values of K m and V max increased 0.24- and 0.32-fold after co-treatment with 40 μM paeonol, respectively, for 2-AF. This report is the first to show that paeonol can promote K. pneumoniae N-acetyltransferase activity.