biostudies-literatureMolinaro AEuropean Research CouncilNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR)NNF Center for Basic Metabolic ResearchNovo Nordisk Fonden5881https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC7676231biostudies-literatureUnknown11(1)Microbiota-host-diet interactions contribute to the development of metabolic diseases. Imidazole propionate is a novel microbially produced metabolite from histidine, which impairs glucose metabolism. Here, we show that subjects with prediabetes and diabetes in the MetaCardis cohort from three European countries have elevated serum imidazole propionate levels. Furthermore, imidazole propionate levels were increased in subjects with low bacterial gene richness and Bacteroides 2 enterotype, which have previously been associated with obesity. The Bacteroides 2 enterotype was also associated with increased abundance of the genes involved in imidazole propionate biosynthesis from dietary histidine. Since patients and controls did not differ in their histidine dietary intake, the elevated levelsNature communicationsImidazole propionate is increased in diabetes and associated with dietary patterns and altered microbial ecology.PMC7676231Pedersen GroupNNF19OC0057271Hansen GroupBäckhed Group615362NNF15OC0016798Isnard RAmouyal CAlves RTouch SHansen THMarquet FFellahi SGiral PZucker JDKhemis JBittar RAndre SMetaCardis ConsortiumBatisse JPMassey RKammer JChakaroun RGalan PBerland MRaes JMoitinho-Silva LChilloux JAssmann KPouzoulet LBastard JPLejard VSwartz TAdriouch SRouault CLewinter CEhrlich SDGotze JPCoelho LPVestergaard HSvendstrup MCollet JPVieira-Silva SBosquet FBarthelemy OPrifti EDumas MEKrarup NMaziers NPons NCiangura CEngelbrechtsen LHenricsson MCamus MClement KKober LKristensen NBGalijatovic EAAMontalescot GWu HHercberg SDjebbar MStumvoll MJustesen JSchmidt SBlottiere HDao MCHartemann AKerneis MBelda EFromentin SKuhn MMolinaro ALucas-Martini LBoubrit RHolst JJPedersen HKSokolovska NMedina-Stamminger JRoume HBourron OBackhed FFalony GCassuto DMoutel SForslund SAndreelli FBel Lassen PWalther SLe Chatelier EJorgensen NRBergh POHulot JSJaqueminet SNielsen TPousset FHelft GHornbak MVatier CQuinquis BOppert JMNielsen JLevenez FSilvain JFezeu LSonderskov NBDore APedersen OPoitou CBork PHansen TLetunic IJulienne HVanduyvenboden TAron-Wisnewsky JLe Pavin LPSalem JEfalseImidazole propionate is increased in diabetes and associated with dietary patterns and altered microbial ecology.Microbiota-host-diet interactions contribute to the development of metabolic diseases. Imidazole propionate is a novel microbially produced metabolite from histidine, which impairs glucose metabolism. Here, we show that subjects with prediabetes and diabetes in the MetaCardis cohort from three European countries have elevated serum imidazole propionate levels. Furthermore, imidazole propionate levels were increased in subjects with low bacterial gene richness and Bacteroides 2 enterotype, which have previously been associated with obesity. The Bacteroides 2 enterotype was also associated with increased abundance of the genes involved in imidazole propionate biosynthesis from dietary histidine. Since patients and controls did not differ in their histidine dietary intake, the elevated levels2020-01-01T00:00:00Z2020 Nov2026-04-30T08:13:44.635Z2026-04-07T15:56:46.903ZS-EPMC76762313320874810.1038/s41467-020-19589-w