Gut microbial H2S promotes metabolic dysfunction in mice via hepatic PPARα suppression.

Gut microbial H2S promotes metabolic dysfunction in mice by suppressing hepatic PPARα, leading to obesity and impaired glucose tolerance.

• Why it matters: Understanding how gut microbiota influence metabolic diseases is crucial for developing targeted therapies, as the role of microbial sulfur metabolism in these conditions remains unclear.
• What they did: Researchers combined human gut metagenomic data, mouse intervention experiments with H2S-producing microbes, and cellular assays to explore the impact of microbial H2S on metabolism, focusing on genes involved in sulfur transport and H2S production.
• The result: H2S exposure caused weight gain and glucose intolerance in mice, linked to downregulation of hepatic PPARα and lipid metabolism pathways; PPAR agonists and H2S adsorbents partially reversed these effects, highlighting potential microbiome-based treatments.