Search bioRxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.12.15.472660

Differential impact of rhamnolipids and polysorbate80 on composition and functionality of the gut microbiota in the SHIME system.

Miclotte, L.·De Paepe, E.·Li, Q.·Rajkovic, A.·Van Camp, J.·Van de Wiele, T.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Dietary emulsifiers have been shown to affect the composition and function of the gut microbial community, both in vivo and in vitro. Yet, several knowledge gaps remain to be addressed: the impact from a longer timeframe exposure on the gut microbiota, interindividual variability in microbiome response and the putative impact from novel clean label alternatives for current food emulsifiers. In the present study, the impact of one conventional dietary emulsifier, TWEEN80, and one potential novel alternative, rhamnolipids, on the human gut microbiota was investigated using the Mucosal Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (M-SHIME). The faecal microbiota from two human donors, with high and low responsiveness to the emulsifiers, were exposed to 0,05 m% and 0,5 m% of the emulsifiers for 7 days. The results confirmed previous observations that the effects on the composition and functionality are both emulsifier- and donor dependent. The effects reached an equilibrium after about 3 days of exposure. Overall, TWEEN80 and rhamnolipids displayed opposite effects: TWEEN80 increased cell counts, reduced propionate concentration, increased butyrate levels, increased a.o. Faecalibacterium, Blautia and Hungatella abundance, while rhamnolipids did the opposite. Rhamnolipids also sharply increased the abundance of unclassified Lachnospiraceae. On the other hand, both emulsifiers increased the relative abundance of unclassified Enterobacteriaceae. Both emulsifiers also altered the microbial metabolome in different ways and a pathway enrichment analysis tool revealed that the metabolome alterations could be reminiscent of gut issues and obesity. Overall, the impact from the rhamnolipids was larger than that of TWEEN80 at similar concentrations, indicating that the former may not necessarily be a safer alternative for the latter. The microbiotas response also depended on its original composition and the sensitivity status for which the faecal donors were selected, was preserved. Whether the same donor-diversity and longitudinal impact can be expected in the human colon as well and what impact this has on the host will have to be further investigated.

Explore related subjects

microbiologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Miclotte, L., De Paepe, E., Li, Q., Rajkovic, A., Van Camp, J., Van de Wiele, T.. 2021-12-15. Differential impact of rhamnolipids and polysorbate80 on composition and functionality of the gut microbiota in the SHIME system.. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.15.472660

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

A conserved cysteine-histidine-glutamate metal site identifies DUF501 (Rv1025), an essential uncharacterised protein family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as a candidate metalloenzyme and drug target

A substantial fraction of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome remains functionally uncharacterised. Rv1025, a 155-residue protein carrying the domain of unknown function DUF501 (Pfam PF04417), is essential by transposon mutagenesis and vulnerable by CRISPR interference, an attractive but neglected drug target, yet has never been functionally described. The family (4,370 proteins, no Gene Ontology term, no solved structure) is uncharacterised across all organisms and essential in three Actinobacterial genera. A Foldseek search of the AlphaFold model against complete structural databases finds no significant homolog, indicating a novel fold. The operon eno-divIC-Rv1025-ppx2 is conserved across the Actinobacteria phylum, yet AlphaFold-Multimer finds no direct complex between Rv1025 and its neighbour DivIC. Instead, conservation across 8,700 homologous sequences reveals a near-invariant Cys113-His115-Glu59 cluster forming a pocket. Holo AlphaFold3 predictions with Zn, Fe and Mn confidently place a divalent metal on this triad at 2.25-2.47 A; mutating the triad relocates the metal, and an independent backbone-geometry predictor recovers the same site, confirming specificity. The triad is universal across the family: present in all 1,472 near-complete bacterial sequences of the Pfam alignment, with no non-conservative substitution among the 2,228 sequences examined, a defining feature of bacterial DUF501 rather than a mycobacterial peculiarity. We propose that DUF501 is a metal-binding protein and candidate metalloenzyme, the first functional hypothesis for this family, whose conserved, essential metal pocket is a promising drug target. As the predictions build on a conservation-defined site within a fully computational study, they are supportive rather than proof of metal occupancy and warrant experimental validation.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Mycoplasmal endosymbionts of Trichomonas vaginalis are associated with reduced risk for Chlamydia trachomatis endometrial infection in asymptomatic, coinfected, women.

Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan parasite that causes trichomoniasis, the most common curable non-viral sexually transmitted infection, and Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial pathogen that can ascend to the upper genital tract and cause pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. T. vaginalis harbors bacterial endosymbionts, including Candidatus Malacoplasma girerdii, an obligate symbiont, and Metamycoplasma hominis, which can live freely or symbiotically. In a 16S rRNA sequencing study of the cervicovaginal microbiome of women at high risk for chlamydial infection, Ca. M. girerdii abundance was one of 13 features predicting lack of chlamydial spread to the endometrium, despite no direct association between T. vaginalis infection and reduced chlamydial ascension. Investigating the relationship between these microorganisms further, we found that T. vaginalis vaginal abundance correlated positively with chlamydial burden in women whose infection was confined to the cervix, while a nonsignificant inverse relationship was seen in women with endometrial spread. Among participants with high chlamydial burden, Ca. M. girerdii was detected exclusively in women without endometrial infection. Both endosymbionts trended toward more frequent detection, and higher abundance, in coinfected women without endometrial spread, while M. hominis abundance correlated strongly with T. vaginalis burden in this group. These findings suggest that mycoplasmal endosymbionts of T. vaginalis, rather than T. vaginalis itself, are microbial factors limiting chlamydial ascension, and point to a three-way interaction between parasite, endosymbiont, and bacterial pathogen that shapes upper genital tract C. trachomatis infection risk.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Understanding the physiological alterations of Vibrio cholerae upon exposure to L-ascorbic acid

The scourge of cholera remains a major global public health threat. It affects up to 4 million people worldwide and causes tens of thousands of deaths each year. The disease is experiencing a concerning resurgence in many parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. To effectively tackle cholera and circumvent rising antimicrobial resistance, targeted biological and preventive approaches, complementing traditional rehydration, are urgently needed. In this regard, our group has demonstrated the efficacy of L-ascorbic acid in controlling the growth and pathogenesis of Vibrio cholerae in vitro. The present work further provides a mechanistic elucidation of the L-ascorbic acid-mediated physiological changes in V. cholerae and also bolsters such a non-antibiotic approach to control cholera.

microbiology↗