Castañeda-Monsalve Victor, Haange Sven-Bastiaan, Fröhlich Laura-Fabienne, Fu Qiuguo, Rolle-Kampczyk Ulrike, von Bergen Martin, Jehmlich Nico
Department of Molecular Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ GmbH, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
Department of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ GmbH, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
ISME Commun. 2025 Mar 22;5(1):ycaf050. doi: 10.1093/ismeco/ycaf050. eCollection 2025 Jan.
The human gut microbiota plays a vital role in maintaining host health by acting as a barrier against pathogens, supporting the immune system, and metabolizing complex carbon sources into beneficial compounds such as short-chain fatty acids. Brilliant blue E-133 (BB), is a common food dye that is not absorbed or metabolized by the body, leading to substantial exposure of the gut microbiota. Despite this, its effects on the microbiota are not well-documented. In this study, we cultivated the Simplified Human Microbiota Model (SIHUMIx) in a three-stage in vitro approach (stabilization, exposure, and recovery). Using metaproteomic and metabolomic approaches, we observed significant shifts in microbial composition, including an increase in the relative abundance of and a decrease in beneficial species such as and . We observed lower protein abundance in energy metabolism, metabolic end products, and particularly lactate and butyrate. Disturbance in key metabolic pathways related to energy production, stress response, and amino acid metabolism were also observed, with some pathways affected independently of bacterial abundance. These functional changes persisted during the recovery phase, indicating that the microbiota did not fully return to its pre-exposure state. Our findings suggest that BB has a lasting impact on gut microbiota structure and function, raising concerns about its widespread use in the food industry. This study underscores the need for further research into the long-term effects of food colorants on the gut microbiota and their potential health implications.
人类肠道微生物群在维持宿主健康方面发挥着至关重要的作用，它可作为抵御病原体的屏障、支持免疫系统，并将复杂的碳源代谢为有益化合物，如短链脂肪酸。亮蓝E-133（BB）是一种常见的食用色素，人体不会吸收或代谢它，这导致肠道微生物群大量接触该色素。尽管如此，其对微生物群的影响尚无充分记录。在本研究中，我们采用三阶段体外方法（稳定期、暴露期和恢复期）培养了简化人类微生物群模型（SIHUMIx）。使用元蛋白质组学和代谢组学方法，我们观察到微生物组成发生了显著变化，包括[具体菌种1]相对丰度增加，而[有益菌种1]和[有益菌种2]等有益菌种相对丰度降低。我们观察到能量代谢、代谢终产物，特别是乳酸和丁酸的蛋白质丰度较低。还观察到与能量产生、应激反应和氨基酸代谢相关的关键代谢途径受到干扰，一些途径的受影响与细菌丰度无关。这些功能变化在恢复期持续存在，表明微生物群未完全恢复到暴露前状态。我们的研究结果表明，BB对肠道微生物群的结构和功能有持久影响，这引发了人们对其在食品工业中广泛使用的担忧。这项研究强调有必要进一步研究食用色素对肠道微生物群的长期影响及其潜在的健康影响。
