title: Production of enterodiol from defatted flaxseeds through biotransformation by human intestinal bacteria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The effects of enterolignans, e.g., enterodiol (END) and particularly its oxidation product, enterolactone (ENL), on prevention of hormone-dependent diseases, such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, hyperlipemia, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer and menopausal syndrome, have attracted much attention. To date, the main way to obtain END and ENL is chemical synthesis, which is expensive and inevitably leads to environmental pollution. To explore a more economic and eco-friendly production method, we explored biotransformation of enterolignans from precursors contained in defatted flaxseeds by human intestinal bacteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We cultured fecal specimens from healthy young adults in media containing defatted flaxseeds and detected END from the culture supernatant. Following selection through successive subcultures of the fecal microbiota with defatted flaxseeds as the only carbon source, we obtained a bacterial consortium, designated as END-49, which contained the smallest number of bacterial types still capable of metabolizing defatted flaxseeds to produce END. Based on analysis with pulsed field gel electrophoresis, END-49 was found to consist of five genomically distinct bacterial lineages, designated Group I-V, with Group I strains dominating the culture. None of the individual Group I-V strains produced END, demonstrating that the biotransformation of substrates in defatted flaxseeds into END is a joint work by different members of the END-49 bacterial consortium. Interestingly, Group I strains produced secoisolariciresinol, an important intermediate of END production; 16S rRNA analysis of one Group I strain established its close relatedness with Klebsiella. Genomic analysis is under way to identify all members in END-49 involved in the biotransformation and the actual pathway leading to END-production.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Biotransformation is a very economic, efficient and environmentally friendly way of mass-producing enterodiol from defatted flaxseeds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Zhi
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao-Qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Dong-Hui
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Zhi-Rong
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Gui-Rong
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ge-Xin
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ya-Nan
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Miao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Shao-Qing
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Bao-Shan
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Ku
authors.forename: Shu-Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001711:Biotransformation; D002072:Butylene Glycols / Q000378:metabolism; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D019597:Flax / Q000378:metabolism*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D017705:Lignans / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002072:Butylene Glycols; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D017705:Lignans; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C029498:2,3-bis(3'-hydroxybenzyl)butane-1,4-diol; C060283:secoisolariciresinol
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