Metabolization of Flavan‐3‐ol Oligomers by Eggerthella lenta , a Human Gut Bacterium
Abstract
Flavan‐3‐ols are among the most widely consumed flavonoids and have been implicated in the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases. Increasing evidence indicates that phenolic metabolites produced by the gut microbiota from flavan‐3‐ols contribute significantly to these effects. While some bacterial species can metabolize flavan‐3‐ol monomers, no isolates with activity on oligomers, i.e., procyanidins, have been reported. Since the gut microbiota is known to hydrolyze procyanidins, our aim was to identify bacteria capable of degrading them and to characterize their resulting metabolites. Through culturomic, genomic, and metabolomic approaches, we isolated novel strains of Eggerthella lenta and Flavonifractor plautii that metabolize flavan‐3‐ol monomers. Their activity was subsequently tested on B‐type (DP 2 to 4) and A‐type (DP 2) procyanidins. Only E. lenta was able to convert procyanidins, whereas F. plautii , either alone or in co‐culture with E. lenta , showed no detectable activity. The reaction catalyzed by E. lenta corresponded to C‐ring opening of the terminal unit of the oligomers. This work provides the first demonstration of procyanidin metabolism by a human gut bacterium. The presence and activity of E. lenta in the gut may therefore be a key determinant of the health benefits associated with flavan‐3‐ol–rich diets.
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BibTeX
@article{halifa2026metabolization,
title = {{Metabolization of Flavan‐3‐ol Oligomers by Eggerthella lenta , a Human Gut Bacterium}},
author = {Ruben Halifa and Claire Dufour and Agnes Cornu and Philippe Ruiz and Jeanne Danon and Christian Ginies and Michel Dubourdeaux and Sophie Comtet-Marre and Pierre Peyret and Carine Le Bourvellec and Pascale Mosoni},
journal = {Molecular Nutrition and Food Research},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1002/mnfr.70615},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05768681v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Metabolization of Flavan‐3‐ol Oligomers by Eggerthella lenta , a Human Gut Bacterium
AU - Ruben Halifa
AU - Claire Dufour
AU - Agnes Cornu
AU - Philippe Ruiz
AU - Jeanne Danon
AU - Christian Ginies
AU - Michel Dubourdeaux
AU - Sophie Comtet-Marre
AU - Pierre Peyret
AU - Carine Le Bourvellec
AU - Pascale Mosoni
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - Molecular Nutrition and Food Research
DO - 10.1002/mnfr.70615
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05768681v1
AB - Flavan‐3‐ols are among the most widely consumed flavonoids and have been implicated in the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases. Increasing evidence indicates that phenolic metabolites produced by the gut microbiota from flavan‐3‐ols contribute significantly to these effects. While some bacterial species can metabolize flavan‐3‐ol monomers, no isolates with activity on oligomers, i.e., procyanidins, have been reported. Since the gut microbiota is known to hydrolyze procyanidins, our aim was to identify bacteria capable of degrading them and to characterize their resulting metabolites. Through culturomic, genomic, and metabolomic approaches, we isolated novel strains of Eggerthella lenta and Flavonifractor plautii that metabolize flavan‐3‐ol monomers. Their activity was subsequently tested on B‐type (DP 2 to 4) and A‐type (DP 2) procyanidins. Only E. lenta was able to convert procyanidins, whereas F. plautii , either alone or in co‐culture with E. lenta , showed no detectable activity. The reaction catalyzed by E. lenta corresponded to C‐ring opening of the terminal unit of the oligomers. This work provides the first demonstration of procyanidin metabolism by a human gut bacterium. The presence and activity of E. lenta in the gut may therefore be a key determinant of the health benefits associated with flavan‐3‐ol–rich diets.
SN - 1613-4125
SN - 1613-4133
ER -