A Combined LC-MS Metabolomics- and 16S rRNA Sequencing Platform to Assess Interactions between Herbal Medicinal Products and Human Gut Bacteria in Vitro: a Pilot Study on Willow Bark Extract

ABSTRACT: Herbal preparations are complex mixtures of natural products, many of which are able to reach the distal gut. There, they influence the microbial communities, and can be metabolized into bioactive metabolites. The aim of this study was to establish an interdisciplinary platform to unravel interactions of herbal medicine and intestinal microbiota, using a combined LC-MS metabolomics and 16S rRNA microbiome sequencing approach. Willow bark extract (WBE), a herbal medicinal product with well-established anti-inflammatory activity, was incubated with human fecal suspension under anoxic conditions. Samples were drawn after 0.5, 4 and 24 h of incubation.

Microbiome analyses revealed that incubation with WBE had a marked effect on microbial community composition and functions. In particular, the proportion of Bacterioides sp., generally regarded as beneficial for the gut ecosystem, was clearly enhanced in WBE-treated samples. LC-MS analysis showed that WBE constituents were readily metabolized by fecal bacteria. Numerous microbial metabolites could be annotated, allowing the construction of putative microbial degradation pathways for the main groups of WBE constituents.

We suggest that studies of this type help to increase the knowledge on bioactive principles of herbal medicine, since gut microbial metabolites have certainly been underestimated as a source of bioactive compounds in the past.

INSTRUMENT(S): Q Exactive (Thermo Scientific)

PROVIDER: MTBLS479 | MetaboLights | 2017-12-14

REPOSITORIES: MetaboLights