New paper highlights a green-diet-derived sulfur compound as a potential prebiotic

Together with an international team of scientists, Julia Krasenbrink and Alexander Loy show that sulfoquinovose – a sulfonated glucose found in dietary green plants and algae – is a promising prebiotic compound that selectively stimulates the activities of specific gut bacteria. Their study shows that human gut microbes like Agathobacter rectalis, commonly associated with a healthy microbiome, ferment sulfoquinovose to produce the short-chain fatty acids acetate and butyrate, which support gut health. Another fermentation product, 2,3-dihydroxy-1-propanesulfonate (DHPS), is further broken down by sulfonate-respiring bacteria like Bilophila wadsworthia, leading to the formation of hydrogen sulfide – a compound with both beneficial and potentially harmful effects, depending on its concentration and context. The researchers established a minimum concentration of sulfoquinovose that alters the human gut microbiota, corresponding to levels achievable through a diet rich in green vegetables like spinach. Importantly, they found that sulfoquinovose is not metabolized by the host, but exclusively by gut microbes – reinforcing its potential as a targeted prebiotic.