Biodegradation of d1-synephrine: A novel pathway in Nocardia sp DM1

Several organisms were tested for their ability to degrde dt-synephrine. One soil pseudomonad and a Nocardia  sp have been found to efficiently utilise the compound. Norardia sp degrded synephrine by two novel  routes,  one involving monoamine oxidase and  the other involving converston to p-hydroxyphenyl-acetaldehyde by the  synephrinase enzymc The p-hydroxyphenyl-acetaldehyde was converted to p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and  finally to 2.5-dihydroxyphcnylacetic ncid which underwent ring fission between C1 and C2 atoms. The  monoammine oxidase converted synephrine to p-hydroxymandehcaldehyde which was finally oxidized to 3-4-dihydroxybenzoic acid through the intermediate formation of p-hydroxymandelic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, 3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic acid which cleaved by an ozygenase through an orthofission. The route involving synephrinase was the major degradative pathway. However, the two pathways were found to operate simultaneously.