Analyzing Predominant Bacterial Species and Potential Short-Chain Fatty Acid-Associated Metabolic Routes in Human Gut Microbiome Using Integrative Metagenomics

Simple Summary Human gut microbiome plays an important role for health. This study was thus aimed to analyze the predominant species and metabolic routes involved in short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production in the human gut microbiome after treatment with copra meal hydrolysate (CMH). Using integrative metagenomics, key predominant bacterial species and metabolic routes involved in cooperative microbiome networks in relation to SCFAs biosynthesis were identified. This suggests that CMH becomes a potential prebiotic diet for modulating and maintaining the gut microbiome implicated in human health. Gut microbiome plays an essential role in host health, and there is interest in utilizing diet to modulate the composition and function of microbial communities. Copra meal hydrolysate (CMH) is commonly used as a natural additive to enhance health. However, the gut microbiome is largely unknown at species level and is associated with metabolic routes involving short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In this study, we aimed to analyze, using integrative metagenomics, the predominant species and metabolic routes involved in SCFAs production in the human gut microbiome after treatment with CMH. The effect of CMH treatment on the Thai gut microbiome was demonstrated using 16S rRNA genes with whole-metagenome shotgun (WMGS) sequencing technology. Accordingly, these results revealed that CMH has potentially beneficial effects on the gut microbiome. Twelve predominant bacterial species, as well as their potential metabolic routes, were involved in cooperative microbiome networks under sugar utilization (e.g., glucose, mannose, or xylose) and energy supply (e.g., NADH and ATP) in relation to SCFAs biosynthesis. These findings suggest that CMH may be used as a potential prebiotic diet for modulating and maintaining the gut microbiome. To our knowledge, this is the first study to reveal the predominant bacterial species and metabolic routes in the Thai gut microbiome after treatment with potential prebiotics.

Automated summary

This study aimed to analyze the predominant species and metabolic routes involved in SCFAs production in the human gut microbiome after treatment with CMH. It was found that CMH may potentially be used as a prebiotic diet for modulating and maintaining the gut microbiome implicated in human health.