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Transformative Forces: The Role of Gut Microbiota in Processing Environmental Pollutants
Meilin Lv1,2, Yanna Liu2, Minghao Wang2
1College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, State Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Green Resource Recycling, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
Environmental Science & Technology
|July 25, 2025
Summary
The gut microbiota transforms environmental pollutants, impacting their health effects. Advanced methods reveal these mechanisms, crucial for understanding pollution risks and management strategies.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Microbiology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Gut microbiota significantly influences the metabolism and effects of external compounds.
- Environmental contamination necessitates understanding microbial roles in pollutant transformation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review gut microbiota-mediated pollutant transformation mechanisms.
- To highlight methods for identifying transformation products and understanding microbial roles.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on gut microbiota-mediated transformations.
- Focus on advanced predictive tools and mass spectrometry for product identification.
- Integration of multi-omics approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics).
Main Results:
- Gut microbiota mediate pollutant transformation, affecting bioavailability and host health.
- Multi-omics approaches elucidate the mechanisms of these transformations.
- Gut microbiota influence pollutant bioaccumulation, metabolism, and excretion.
Conclusions:
- Gut microbiota play a critical role in processing environmental pollutants.
- Further research is needed to address knowledge gaps in microbiota-mediated transformations.
- Understanding these processes is vital for environmental health and pollution management.
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