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Andrew Purvis Andrew Purvis
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5 years ago
How does the environment of the human gut affect the metabolic activity of probiotic bacteria?  I would like to understand this ecologically and chemically.
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Educator
5 years ago Edited: 5 years ago, bio_man
How does the environment of the human gut affect the metabolic activity of probiotic bacteria? I would like to understand this ecologically and chemically.

Hi Andrew, welcome to BF

The environment directly impacts the health of your gut's microflora. For instance, many antibiotics tend to kill the probiotics that like in your gut, and this has countless negative effects on your health, from poor digestion to poor colon health. Ecologically, most gut bacteria require a specific PH level and a purely anaerobic environment; when these factors are disrupted, the chemicals in which gut bacteria is responsible for producing, such as vitamins and certain amino acids start to lack.

Andrew P. Author
wrote...
5 years ago
Interesting answer.  Thank you.  I have more related questions.

Do probiotic bacteria produce different metabolites inside the gut than they do outside?  If so, what metabolites do they produce inside the gut that they don't produce outside?  What functions do these metabolites serve for the bacteria and the host?  What causes the bacteria to produce different metabolites when they reach the gut?
wrote...
Educator
5 years ago Edited: 5 years ago, bio_man
I'll try answering your question through speculation alone, since I can't seem to find peer-reviewed evidence at the moment.

Firstly, all gut microbiota absorb energy from the host to support their growth, and release metabolites produced through fermentation due to a lack of oxygen inside the intestines. These metabolites in turn influence the host metabolome and the formation of gut microbiota.

Below is a table showing the sources of several intestinal microbial metabolites, and explains in detail how these microbial metabolites regulate pathogens and their effects.



Now, depending on the environment that a species grows in, certain genes can be turned-off or on. This phenomenon is known as epigenetics, and research shows it also happens in bacteria too. In fact, most epigenetic systems known in bacteria use DNA methylation as a signal that regulates a specific DNA-protein interaction. (Source)

That said, I'd suggest you look through the names of the species found in the table above, and research if this occurs in these species too. If it does, than that answers your question.

Let me know what you find!
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