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. 1997 Oct;63(10):4099–4101. doi: 10.1128/aem.63.10.4099-4101.1997

Reduction of malachite green to leucomalachite green by intestinal bacteria.

A L Henderson 1, T C Schmitt 1, T M Heinze 1, C E Cerniglia 1
PMCID: PMC168723  PMID: 9327576

Abstract

Intestinal microfloras from human, rat, mouse, and monkey fecal samples and 14 pure cultures of anaerobic bacteria representative of those found in the human gastrointestinal tract metabolized the triphenylmethane dye malachite green to leucomalachite green. The reduction of malachite green to the leuco derivative suggests that intestinal microflora could play an important role in the metabolic activation of the triphenylmethane dye to a potential carcinogen.

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Selected References

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