The metabolites of lactic acid bacteria: classification, biosynthesis and modulation of gut microbiota

Huang Tang; Wanqiu Huang; Yu-Feng Yao

doi:10.15698/mic2023.03.792

The metabolites of lactic acid bacteria: classification, biosynthesis and modulation of gut microbiota

Microb Cell. 2023 Feb 8;10(3):49-62. doi: 10.15698/mic2023.03.792. eCollection 2023 Mar 6.

Authors

Huang Tang^{1

2}, Wanqiu Huang^{1

2}, Yu-Feng Yao^{1

2

3

4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
² Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institutes of Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai 200025, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
⁵ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Emergency Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Respiratory Infectious Diseases (20dz2261100), Shanghai 200025, China.

Abstract

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are ubiquitous microorganisms that can colonize the intestine and participate in the physiological metabolism of the host. LAB can produce a variety of metabolites, including organic acids, bacteriocin, amino acids, exopolysaccharides and vitamins. These metabolites are the basis of LAB function and have a profound impact on host health. The intestine is colonized by a large number of gut microorganisms with high species diversity. Metabolites of LAB can keep the balance and stability of gut microbiota through aiding in the maintenance of the intestinal epithelial barrier, resisting to pathogens and regulating immune responses, which further influence the nutrition, metabolism and behavior of the host. In this review, we summarize the metabolites of LAB and their influence on the intestine. We also discuss the underlying regulatory mechanisms and emphasize the link between LAB and the human gut from the perspective of health promotion.

Keywords: gut microbiota; immune system; lactic acid bacteria; metabolites.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81830068, No. 81772140, No. 31700120, and No. 81501733), Key Research and Development Project of China (No. 2016YFA0500600), GuangCi Professorship Program of Ruijin Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, the Program for Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar) at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning.