H Generated by Fermentation in the Human Gut Microbiome Influences Metabolism and Competitive Fitness of Gut Butyrate Producers

Background: Hydrogen gas (H) is a common product of carbohydrate fermentation in the human gut microbiome and its accumulation can modulate fermentation. Concentrations of colonic H vary between individuals, raising the possibility that H concentration may be an important factor differentiating individual microbiomes and their metabolites. Butyrate-producing bacteria (butyrogens) in the human gut usually produce some combination of butyrate, lactate, formate, acetate, and H in branched fermentation pathways to manage reducing power generated during the oxidation of glucose to acetate and carbon dioxide. We predicted that a high concentration of intestinal H would favor the production of butyrate, lactate, and formate by the butyrogens at the expense of acetate, H, and CO. Regulation of butyrate production in the human gut is of particular interest due to its role as a mediator of colonic health through anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.

Results: For butyrogens that contained a hydrogenase, growth under a high H atmosphere or in the presence of the hydrogenase inhibitor CO stimulated production of organic fermentation products that accommodate reducing power generated during glycolysis, specifically butyrate, lactate, and formate. Also as expected, production of fermentation products in cultures of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii strain A2-165, which does not contain a hydrogenase, was unaffected by H or CO. In a synthetic gut microbial community, addition of the H-consuming human gut methanogen Methanobrevibacter smithii decreased butyrate production alongside H concentration. Consistent with this observation, M. smithii metabolic activity in a large human cohort was associated with decreased fecal butyrate, but only during consumption of a resistant starch dietary supplement, suggesting the effect may be most prominent when H production in the gut is especially high. Addition of M. smithii to the synthetic communities also facilitated the growth of E. rectale, resulting in decreased relative competitive fitness of F. prausnitzii.

Conclusions: H is a regulator of fermentation in the human gut microbiome. In particular, high H concentration stimulates production of the anti-inflammatory metabolite butyrate. By consuming H, gut methanogenesis can decrease butyrate production. These shifts in butyrate production may also impact the competitive fitness of butyrate producers in the gut microbiome. Video Abstract.