Cholesterol-to-Coprostanol Conversion by the Gut Microbiota: What We Know, Suspect, and Ignore
Every day, up to 1 g of cholesterol, composed of the unabsorbed dietary cholesterol, the biliary cholesterol secretion, and cholesterol of cells sloughed from the intestinal epithelium, enters the colon. All cholesterol arriving in the large intestine can be metabolized by the colonic bacteria. Chol...
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doaj-a2d8288f25c74f1db3f7785e50608b012021-09-26T00:43:38ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072021-09-0191881188110.3390/microorganisms9091881Cholesterol-to-Coprostanol Conversion by the Gut Microbiota: What We Know, Suspect, and IgnoreCatherine Juste0Philippe Gérard1AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, FranceAgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, FranceEvery day, up to 1 g of cholesterol, composed of the unabsorbed dietary cholesterol, the biliary cholesterol secretion, and cholesterol of cells sloughed from the intestinal epithelium, enters the colon. All cholesterol arriving in the large intestine can be metabolized by the colonic bacteria. Cholesterol is mainly converted into coprostanol, a non-absorbable sterol that is excreted in the feces. Interestingly, cholesterol-to-coprostanol conversion in human populations is variable, with a majority of high converters and a minority of low or inefficient converters. Two major pathways have been proposed, one involving the direct stereospecific reduction of the Δ5 double bond direct while the indirect pathway involves the intermediate formation of 4-cholelesten-3-one and coprostanone. Despite the fact that intestinal cholesterol conversion was discovered more than a century ago, only a few cholesterol-to-coprostanol-converting bacterial strains have been isolated and characterized. Moreover, the responsible genes were mainly unknown until recently. Interestingly, cholesterol-to-coprostanol conversion is highly regulated by the diet. Finally, this gut bacterial metabolism has been linked to health and disease, and recent evidence suggests it could contribute to lower blood cholesterol and cardiovascular risks.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/9/1881cholesterolcoprostanolgut microbiomeintestinebile acidsfeces |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Catherine Juste Philippe Gérard |
spellingShingle |
Catherine Juste Philippe Gérard Cholesterol-to-Coprostanol Conversion by the Gut Microbiota: What We Know, Suspect, and Ignore Microorganisms cholesterol coprostanol gut microbiome intestine bile acids feces |
author_facet |
Catherine Juste Philippe Gérard |
author_sort |
Catherine Juste |
title |
Cholesterol-to-Coprostanol Conversion by the Gut Microbiota: What We Know, Suspect, and Ignore |
title_short |
Cholesterol-to-Coprostanol Conversion by the Gut Microbiota: What We Know, Suspect, and Ignore |
title_full |
Cholesterol-to-Coprostanol Conversion by the Gut Microbiota: What We Know, Suspect, and Ignore |
title_fullStr |
Cholesterol-to-Coprostanol Conversion by the Gut Microbiota: What We Know, Suspect, and Ignore |
title_full_unstemmed |
Cholesterol-to-Coprostanol Conversion by the Gut Microbiota: What We Know, Suspect, and Ignore |
title_sort |
cholesterol-to-coprostanol conversion by the gut microbiota: what we know, suspect, and ignore |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Microorganisms |
issn |
2076-2607 |
publishDate |
2021-09-01 |
description |
Every day, up to 1 g of cholesterol, composed of the unabsorbed dietary cholesterol, the biliary cholesterol secretion, and cholesterol of cells sloughed from the intestinal epithelium, enters the colon. All cholesterol arriving in the large intestine can be metabolized by the colonic bacteria. Cholesterol is mainly converted into coprostanol, a non-absorbable sterol that is excreted in the feces. Interestingly, cholesterol-to-coprostanol conversion in human populations is variable, with a majority of high converters and a minority of low or inefficient converters. Two major pathways have been proposed, one involving the direct stereospecific reduction of the Δ5 double bond direct while the indirect pathway involves the intermediate formation of 4-cholelesten-3-one and coprostanone. Despite the fact that intestinal cholesterol conversion was discovered more than a century ago, only a few cholesterol-to-coprostanol-converting bacterial strains have been isolated and characterized. Moreover, the responsible genes were mainly unknown until recently. Interestingly, cholesterol-to-coprostanol conversion is highly regulated by the diet. Finally, this gut bacterial metabolism has been linked to health and disease, and recent evidence suggests it could contribute to lower blood cholesterol and cardiovascular risks. |
topic |
cholesterol coprostanol gut microbiome intestine bile acids feces |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/9/1881 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT catherinejuste cholesteroltocoprostanolconversionbythegutmicrobiotawhatweknowsuspectandignore AT philippegerard cholesteroltocoprostanolconversionbythegutmicrobiotawhatweknowsuspectandignore |
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