Abstract
(1) Introduction: Sulfonates, which can be diet- or host-derived, are a class of compounds detected in the gut, are involved in host–microbiome interactions and have several health effects. Our aim was to develop a method to quantify five of the sulfonates in the intestine and apply it in a simplified human microbiome model. These were taurine, its metabolic precursor cysteate and one of its degradation products isethionate, as well as sulfoquinovose and one of its most relevant degradation products 2,3-dihydroxy-1-propanesulfonate. (2) Methods: An extraction and sample preparation method was developed, without the need for derivatization. To detect and quantify the extracted sulfonates, a multiplexed LC-MS/MS-MRM method was established. (3) Results: The accuracy and precision of the method were within GLP-accepted parameters. To apply this method in a pilot study, we spiked either taurine or sulfoquinovose into an in vitro simplified human microbiota model with and without Bilophila wadsworthia, a known sulfonate utilizer. The results revealed that only the culture with B. wadsworthia was able to degrade taurine, with isethionate as an intermediate. After spiking the communities with sulfoquinovose, the results revealed that the simplified human microbiome model was able to degrade sulfoquinovose to 2,3-dihydroxypropane-1-sulfonate, which was probably catalyzed by Escherichia coli. In the community with B. wadsworthia, the 2,3-dihydroxypropane-1-sulfonate produced was further degraded by B. wadsworthia to sulfide. (4) Conclusions: We successfully developed a method for sulfonate quantification and applied it in a first pilot study.
Highlights
In recent years, the importance of the interactions between the intestinal microbiome and host in human health and disease has emerged [1,2]
One group of sulfonates are the sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerols (SQDG), which are a class of sulfolipids and are major constituents of chloroplast membranes [5]
As an application pilot study, we investigated how taurine and SQ are utilized in the simplified human intestinal microbiota (SIHUMI) consortium [28], an in vitro simplified human intestinal microbiota model, cultivated with and without Bilophila wadsworthia, a known sulfonate utilizer
Summary
The importance of the interactions between the intestinal microbiome and host in human health and disease has emerged [1,2]. These interactions are mainly conveyed by the exchange of chemical compounds and their metabolites. Metabolites 2020, 10, 430 are the sulfonates Sulfonates and their final degradation product, H2 S, have been linked to many host functions as well as beneficial and detrimental health effects [3,4]. SQDG have been described as having anti-cancer activity, though only with the sulfoquinovose (SQ) moiety still bound [8]
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