Variation in 5βstanols Excretion in Humans and Its Implications for the Application of Fecal Biomarkers in Archaeology

Summary

Fecal biomarkers have proven to be a valuable tool to identify the likely source of fecal matter and have successfully been applied in archaeology. They provide direct evidence of the digestive physiology and diet of the source, and critical data to assess the origin of fecal deposits. 5βstanols can be used as fecal biomarkers because they uniquely form in the gut of higher mammals during metabolic reduction of sterols. However, the actors of this microbial conversion still have to be elucidated and only a few cholesterol-reducing strains have been isolated (only one from human feces). Genes or enzymes involved in this metabolism are still unknown.

Here we present GC-MS and genomic data from fecal samples collected from healthy individuals with different diets and lifestyles. Our results show high diversity in lipid content which can be related to inter-variation of gut microbiome. Almost half of our donors showed little or no conversion, presenting elevated levels of cholestadiene. Our study shows the complexity of 5βstanols production in the human gut and its application to archaeology. Further investigation into the microbial actors of this conversion could open a new window into the study of ancient microbiomes and their role in human evolution.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22274