Recommended Citation
Leonard, Lindsay M.; Simpson, Abigayle M.R.; Li, Shiyu; Reddivari, Lavanya; and Cross, Tzu-Wen L., "A Gnotobiotic Mouse Model with Divergent Equol-Producing Phenotypes: Potential for Determining Microbial-Driven Health Impacts of Soy Isoflavone Daidzein" (2024). Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund. Paper 209.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu16071079
DOI
10.3390/nu16071079
Date of this Version
4-6-2024
Keywords
soy isoflavones, equol, daidzein, synthetic microbiome, model, gnotobiotic mice
Abstract
The implications of soy consumption on human health have been a subject of debate, largely due to the mixed evidence regarding its benefits and potential risks. The variability in responses to soy has been partly attributed to differences in the metabolism of soy isoflavones, compounds with structural similarities to estrogen. Approximately one-third of humans possess gut bacteria capable of converting soy isoflavone daidzein into equol, a metabolite produced exclusively by gut microbiota with significant estrogenic potency. In contrast, lab-raised rodents are efficient equol producers, except for those raised germ-free. This discrepancy raises concerns about the applicability of traditional rodent models to humans. Herein, we designed a gnotobiotic mouse model to differentiate between equol producers and non-producers by introducing synthetic bacterial communities with and without the equol-producing capacity into female and male germ-free mice. These gnotobiotic mice display equol-producing phenotypes consistent with the capacity of the gut microbiota received. Our findings confirm the model’s efficacy in mimicking human equol production capacity, offering a promising tool for future studies to explore the relationship between endogenous equol production and health outcomes like cardiometabolic health and fertility. This approach aims to refine dietary guidelines by considering individual microbiome differences.
Comments
This is the publisher PDF of Leonard, L.M.; Simpson, A.M.R.; Li, S.; Reddivari, L.; Cross, T.-W.L. A Gnotobiotic Mouse Model with Divergent Equol-Producing Phenotypes: Potential for Determining Microbial-Driven Health Impacts of Soy Isoflavone Daidzein. Nutrients 2024, 16, 1079. This article is distributed under a CC-BY license, and is available at DOI: 10.3390/nu16071079.