Inter-species and individualized biotransformation of five saponins by human being- and mouse-derived fecal microbiota

作者：Wenjing Wei, Mingxiao Li, Lingyun Pan, Mijia Shao, Xiaofang He, Yuanyuan Li, Lili Sheng, Ningning Zheng, Houkai Li · 发表于：Chinese Medicine · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s13020-025-01190-2 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Ginseng Biological Effects and Applications、Traditional Chinese Medicine Analysis、Chromatography in Natural Products

BACKGROUND: The gut microbiota plays a critical role in the biotransformation of saponins. However, current research predominantly focuses on metabolism by single microbial species, with limited investigation into inter-species differences or inter-individual variability in saponin biotransformation, especially by the culture of mixed gut microbiota. This study aims to elucidate the species-specific differences and inter-individual variability in gut microbiota-mediated saponin biotransformation through multidimensional analysis. METHODS: In this study, we selected five representative saponins, including ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Re, glycyrrhizic acid, saikosaponin D and dioscin, and conducted anaerobic cultures ex vivo with mixed gut microbiota derived from mice and humans. Metabolic profiles of parent compounds and their metabolites were analyzed using UPLC-MS/MS. Additionally, three saponins (ginsenoside Rb1, glycyrrhizic acid and saikosaponin D) were co-cultured with gut microbiota from 50 healthy volunteers to assess inter-individual biotransformation variability. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was employed to identify key microbial taxa and potential metabolic pathways. RESULTS: We revealed distinct biotransformation patterns of multi-component saponins by mixed gut microbiota, with notable inter-individual variability observed among 50 healthy volunteers. Particularly, ginsenoside Rb1 exhibited the most significant individual differences in gut microbiota biotransformatio...