Unveiling of dietary and gut-microbiota derived B vitamins: Metabolism patterns and their synergistic functions in gut-brain homeostasis

Abstract

Nutrition-gut cross-talk holds a vital position in sustaining intestinal function, and micronutrient metabolism has emerged as the foremost metabolic pathway to preserve gut homeostasis. Among micronutrients, B vitamins have evolved prior to DNA/RNA and are known for their vital roles for major evolutionary transitions in extant organisms. Despite their universal requirement and critical role, not all the three domains of life are endowed with a natural ability for de novo B vitamins synthesis. The human gut microbiome constitutes prototrophs and auxotroph which are entirely dependent on dietary intake and gut microbial production of B vitamins. The syntrophic metabolism involving cross-feeding of B vitamins and community-wide exchange between commensal bacteria elicit important changes in the diversity and composition of the human gut microbiome. Hereto, we discuss the B-vitamins sharing among prototrophic and auxotrophic gut bacteria, their absorption in small intestine and transport in distal gut, functional role in relation to the gut homeostasis and symptoms linked to their deficiency. We also briefly explore their potential involvement as psychobiotics in brain energetic metabolism (kynurenines/tryptophan pathway) for neurological functions and highlight their deficiency related malfunctioning.

Graphic abstract

Keywords:

• B vitamins
• deficiency
• gut homeostasis
• inflammation
• mental health
• kynurenines/tryptophan metabolism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31850410476), the Key research and development projects in Anhui Province (202104f06020026, 202004a06020042, 202004a06020052, 201904a06020008).