Unveiling the prebiotic potential of polyphenols in gut health and metabolism

Polyphenols are a diverse class of plant metabolites with noted health benefits, such as antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiabetic effects. Recently, these compounds have gained interest for their ability to manipulate the composition of the human gut microbiome through distinct mechanisms, including microbial metabolism, enzymatic biotransformation, and antimicrobial effects. For example, many gut microbes express β-glucosidases or polyphenol catabolizing enzymes (PAZymes), which could enable the use of these compounds in competitive niches. This review explores recent research on the enzymes that interact with these substrates, the mechanisms by which polyphenols modulate the gut microbiome, and the use of polyphenolic compounds as next-generation prebiotics for the benefit of the human host.