Abstract
Figure 13.1 shows the general features of the colonic fermentation. The human diet contains high concentrations of plant polysaccharides (cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and starch). Except for starch, they are not digested by host enzymes and pass to the colon where they are fermented by the cooperative metabolism of a large number of different bacterial species (Cummings, 1985; Wolin and Miller, 1983). Significant amounts of starch escape host digestion and are fermented in the colon (Stephen et al., 1983; Thornton et al., 1987). The fermentation of plant polysaccharides produces acetate, propionate, and butyrate and the gases H2 and CO2 (Cummings, 1985; McNeil, 1984). CH4 is a major product of the colonie fermentation of some humans (Bond et al., 1971; Levitt, 1980). They harbor large concentrations of methane-forming Archae that use H2 to reduce CO2 to CH4 (Miller and Wolin, 1982; Weaver et al., 1986).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Barker, H. A., M. D. Kamen, and B. Haas. 1945. Carbon dioxide utilization in the synthesis of acetic and butyric acids by Butyribacterium rettgeri. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 31:355–360.
Bond, J. H., Jr., R. R. Engel, and M. D. Levitt. 1971. Factors influencing pulmonary methane excretion in man. J. Exp. Med. 133:572–578.
Breznak, J. A., J. M. Switzer, and H. Seitz. 1988. Sporomusa termitida sp. nov., an H2/CO2-utilizing acetogen isolated from termites. Arch. Microbiol. 150:282–288.
Breznak, J. A., and J. S. Blum. 1991. Mixotrophy in the termite gut acetogen, Sporomusa termitida. Arch. Microbiol. 156:105–110.
Cummings, J. H. 1985. Fermentation in the human large intestine: evidence and implications for health. Lancet 1:1206–1028.
Cummings, J. H., E. W. Pomare, W. J. Branch, C. P. Naylor, and G. T. MacFarlane. 1987. Short chain fatty acids in human large intestine, portal hepatic and venous blood. Gut 28:1221–1227.
Finegold, S. M., V. L. Sutter, and G. E. Mathisen. 1983. Normal indigenous intestinal flora. In: Human Intestinal Microflora in Health and Disease. D. J. Hentges, (ed.). p. 3. Academic Press, New York.
Geerligs, G., H. C. Aldrich, W. Harder, and G. Diekert. 1987. Isolation and characterization of a carbon monoxide utilizing strain of the acetogen Peptostreptococcus productus. Arch. Microbiol. 48:305–313.
Genther, B. R. S., C. L. Davis, and M. P. Bryant. 1981. Features of rumen and sewage sludge strains of Eubacterium limosum, a methanol-and H2-CO2-utilizing species. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 42:12–19.
Greening, R. C., and J. A. Z. Leedle. 1989. Enrichment and isolation of Acetitomaculum ruminis, gen. nov., sp. nov.: acetogenic bacteria from the bovine rumen. Arch. Microbiol. 151:399–406.
Holdeman, L. V., E. P. Cato, and W. E. C. Moore. 1977. Anaerobic Laboratory Manual. 4th ed. VPI Anaerobe Laboratory, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virgin
Kruh, J. 1982. Effects of sodium butyrate, a new pharmacological agent, on cells in culture. Mol. Cell. Biochem. 42:65–82.
Krumholz, L. R., and M. P. Bryant. 1986. Syntrophococcus sucromutans sp. nov., uses carbohydrates as electron donors and formate, methoxymonobenzenoids or Methano-brevibacter as electron acceptor systems. Arch. Microbiol. 143:313–318.
Lajoie, S. F., S. Bank, T. L. Miller, and M. J. Wolin. 1988. Acetate production from hydrogen and [13C]carbon dioxide by the microflora of human feces. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 54:2723–2727.
Levitt, M. 1980. Intestinal gas production—recent advances in flatology. N. Eng. J. Med. 302:1474–1475.
Liu, S., and J. M. Suflita. 1993. H2-CO2-dependent anaerobic O-demethylation activity in subsurface sediments and by an isolated bacterium. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:1325–1331.
Ljungdahl, L. G. 1986. The autotrophic pathway of acetate synthesis in acetogenic bacteria. Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 56:415–450.
Lorowitz, W. H., and M. P. Bryant. 1984. Peptostreptococcus productus strain that grows rapidly with CO as the energy source. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 47:961–964.
McNeil, N. I. 1984. The contribution of the large intestine to energy supplies in man. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 39:338–342.
Miller, T. L. and M. J. Wolin. 1982. Enumeration of Methanobrevibacter smithii in human feces. Arch. Microbiol. 131:14–18.
Miller, T. L., and M. J. Wolin. 1985. Methanosphaera stadtmaniae gen. nov., sp. nov.: a species that forms methane by reducing methanol with hydrogen. Arch. Microbiol. 141:116–122.
Miller, T. L., and M. J. Wolin. 1986. Methanogens in human and animal intestinal tracts. System. Appl. Microbiol. 7:223–229.
Prins, R. A., and A. Lankhorst. 1977. Synthesis of acetate from CO2 in the cecum of some rodents. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 1:255–258.
Roediger, W. E. W. 1982. Utilization of nutrients by isolated epithelial cells of the rat colon. Gastroenterology. 83:424–429.
Royall, D., T. M. S. Wolever, K. N. Jeejeebhoy. 1990. Clinical significance of colonic fermentation. Am. J. Gastroenterol. 85:1307–1312.
Stephen, A. M., A. C. Haddad, and S. F. Phillips. 1983. Passage of carbohydrate into the colon. Direct measurements in humans. Gastroenterology 85:589–595.
Tanaka, Y., K. Bush, T. Eguchi, N. Ikekawa, T. Takaguchi, Y. Kobayashi, and P. J. Higgins. 1990. Effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and its analogs on butyrate-induced differentiation of HT-29 human colonie carcinoma cells and on the reversal of the differentiated phenotype. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 276:415–423.
Thornton, J. R., A. Dryden, J. Kelleher, and M. S. Losowsky. 1987. Super-efficient starch absorption. A risk factor for colonie neoplasia. Dig. Dis. Sci. 1987. 32:1088–1091.
Weaver, G. A., J. A. Krause, T. L. Miller, and M. J. Wolin. 1986. Incidence of methanogenic bacteria in a sigmoidoscopy population: An association of methanogenic bacteria and diverticulosis. Gut 27:698–704.
Weaver, G. A., J. A. Krause, T. L. Miller, and M. J. Wolin. 1989. Constancy of glucose and starch fermentation by two different human faecal microbial communities. Gut 30:19–25.
Weaver, G. A., J. A. Krause, T. L. Miller, and M. J. Wolin. 1992. Cornstarch fermentation by the colonie microbial community yields more butyrate than does cabbage fiber fermentation; cornstarch fermentation rates correlate negatively with methanogenesis. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 55:70–77.
Wolever, T. M. S., P. Spadafora, and H. Eshuis. 1991. Interaction between colonie acetate and propionate in humans. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 53:681–687.
Wolin, M. J. 1982. Hydrogen transfer in microbial communities. In: Microbial Interactions and Communities. A. T. Bull and J. H. Slater (eds.), pp. 323–356. Academic Press, New York.
Wolin, M. J., and T. L. Miller. 1983. Carbohydrate fermentation. In: Human Intestinal Flora in Health and Disease, D. A. Hentges (ed.). pp. 147–165. Academic Press. New York.
Wolin, M. J. and T. L. Miller. 1993. Bacterial strains from human feces that reduce CO2 to acetic acid. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:3551–3556.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1994 Chapman & Hall
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wolin, M.J., Miller, T.L. (1994). Acetogenesis from CO2 in the Human Colonic Ecosystem. In: Drake, H.L. (eds) Acetogenesis. Chapman & Hall Microbiology Series. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1777-1_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1777-1_13
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5716-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-1777-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive