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Dear Colleagues,

Despite tremendous advances in characterizing the microbial diversity within the gastrointestinal tract, very little is known about the function and role of even the most dominant bacterial species within the human host. It is becoming widely accepted that the metabolic products formed by gut bacteria directly impact on human health and disease, particularly regarding immune response and inflammation. Emerging evidence suggests that these metabolites play an important role in the development of many diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. In most cases, the products of metabolism are uncharacterized and their mechanism of action unknown. This Special Issue of Metabolites “Metabolomic Studies of the Human Gut Microbiome” will be dedicated to areas of research, which use metabolomic methodologies to establish the link between microbial diversity and metabolic functionality. The topics that will be covered by this Special Issue will be those that address identifying microbial metabolites, particularly at their in vivo concentrations, establishing their mechanism of formation and the bacterial species responsible. Metabolites produced by both commensal and pathogenic gut bacteria will be of interest, as will the gut-derived systemic metabolites. There will be a focus on aspects that influence the microbial metabotype, including; genetic factors, diet, BMI, physical activity, non-dietary xenobiotics (e.g. drugs, pollutants), oxidative stress, aging and disease.

Dr. Wendy Roslyn Russell
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

microbial communities
quantitative metabolomics
microbial-derived gut metabolites
microbial-derived systemic metabolites
metabolic modelling
LC-MS, GC-MS and NMR
multivariate analysis; data integration

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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624 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Towards the Fecal Metabolome Derived from Moderate Red Wine Intake

by Ana Jiménez-Girón, Irene Muñoz-González, Pedro J. Martínlvarez, María Victoria Moreno-Arribas and Begoña Bartolomé

Metabolites 2014, 4(4), 1101-1118; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo4041101 - 19 Dec 2014

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 8532

Abstract

Dietary polyphenols, including red wine phenolic compounds, are extensively metabolized during their passage through the gastrointestinal tract; and their biological effects at the gut level (i.e., anti-inflammatory activity, microbiota modulation, interaction with cells, among others) seem to be due more to their microbial-derived metabolites rather than to the original forms found in food. In an effort to improve our understanding of the biological effects that phenolic compounds exert at the gut level, this paper summarizes the changes observed in the human fecal metabolome after an intervention study consisting of a daily consumption of 250 mL of wine during four weeks by healthy volunteers (n = 33). It assembles data from two analytical approaches: (1) UPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of phenolic metabolites in fecal solutions (targeted analysis); and (2) UHPLC-TOF MS analysis of the fecal solutions (non-targeted analysis). Both approaches revealed statistically-significant changes in the concentration of several metabolites as a consequence of the wine intake. Similarity and complementarity between targeted and non-targeted approaches in the analysis of the fecal metabolome are discussed. Both strategies allowed the definition of a complex metabolic profile derived from wine intake. Likewise, the identification of endogenous markers could lead to new hypotheses to unravel the relationship between moderate wine consumption and the metabolic functionality of gut microbiota. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolomic Studies of the Human Gut Microbiome)

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Review

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538 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Colonic Bacteria in the Metabolism of the Natural Isoflavone Daidzin to Equol

by Fatemeh Rafii

Metabolites 2015, 5(1), 56-73; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo5010056 - 14 Jan 2015

Cited by 148 | Viewed by 13846

Abstract

Isoflavones are found in leguminous plants, especially soybeans. They have a structural similarity to natural estrogens, which enables them to bind to estrogen receptors and elicit biological activities similar to natural estrogens. They have been suggested to be beneficial for the prevention and therapy of hormone-dependent diseases. After soy products are consumed, the bacteria of the intestinal microflora metabolize isoflavones to metabolites with altered absorption, bioavailability, and estrogenic characteristics. Variations in the effect of soy products have been correlated with the isoflavone metabolites found in plasma and urine samples of the individuals consuming soy products. The beneficial effects of the soy isoflavone daidzin, the glycoside of daidzein, have been reported in individuals producing equol, a reduction product of daidzein produced by specific colonic bacteria in individuals called equol producers. These individuals comprise 30% and 60% of populations consuming Western and soy-rich Asian diets, respectively. Since the higher percentage of equol producers in populations consuming soy-rich diets is correlated with a lower incidence of hormone-dependent diseases, considerable efforts have been made to detect the specific colonic bacteria involved in the metabolism of daidzein to the more estrogenic compound, equol, which should facilitate the investigation of the metabolic activities related to this compound. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolomic Studies of the Human Gut Microbiome)

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