The path toward using microbial metabolites as therapies

Hélène C. Descamps, Beatrice Herrmann, Daphne Wiredu, Christoph A. Thaiss; EBioMedicine (Published by The Lancet), Volume 44, 2019, Pages 747-754, doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.05.063.

Metabolites have emerged as the quintessential effectors mediating the impact of the commensal microbiome on human physiology, both locally at the sites of microbial colonization and systemically. The endocrine activity of the microbiome and its involvement in a multitude of complex diseases has made microbiome-modulated metabolites an attractive target for the development of new therapies.

In neurodegenerative disorders, cerebellar syndrome is thought to be related to a neurochemical deficit of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Current clinical trials will evaluate indole-3-propionic acid supplementation, a 5-HT precursor, as a therapeutic strategy for Friedreich's ataxia and multiple sclerosis. Indole can be further converted into indoxyl and indoxyl sulfate by host hepatic oxidases (CYP2E1 and SULT1A1).