Microbial Metabolism of B Vitamins in Gut Microbiota
Summary
The human gut microbiota comprises complex consortia that contribute to host nutrition, notably via microbial metabolism of B vitamins. These essential micronutrients, including thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenate (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12), serve as cofactors in fundamental biochemical pathways. Gut bacteria can synthesise certain B vitamins de novo, salvage dietary precursors and exchange vitamers through metabolic interactions. The balance between prototrophic strains, which are capable of synthesising vitamins, and auxotrophic species, which require exogenous supply, underpins community stability and function. Cross-feeding of B vitamins not only sustains microbial diversity but also shapes host physiology, impacting energy metabolism, immune modulation and intestinal barrier integrity. Disruptions to vitamin provisioning—through diet, pharmaceuticals or microbial dysbiosis—can influence host nutrient status and disease risk. Recent advances in metagenomics, metabolomics and in vitro culturing have elucidated the pathways, interspecies dependencies and host–microbe competition that govern B-vitamin dynamics in the gastrointestinal tract, highlighting the potential for targeted dietary or microbial interventions to modulate health outcomes.
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Microbial Metabolism of B Vitamins in Gut Microbiota publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in microbial metabolism of b vitamins in gut microbiota across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Auxotroph: A microbial strain that cannot synthesise a specific nutrient and thus depends on external sources for growth.
Prototroph: A microbial strain capable of de novo synthesis of a nutrient required for growth.
Cross-feeding: Metabolic interaction whereby one microbial species supplies nutrients or intermediates to another.
Cofactor: A small organic molecule, such as a B vitamin, required for enzyme activity in metabolic reactions.
Metabolomics: The systematic study of small-molecule metabolites within a biological system.
References
- Vitamin B12 produced by Cetobacterium somerae improves host resistance against pathogen infection through strengthening the interactions within gut microbiota. Microbiome (2023).
- Bacteroides ovatus accelerates metformin-induced vitamin B12 deficiency in type 2 diabetes patients by accumulating cobalamin. npj Biofilms and Microbiomes (2023).
- Vitamin Biosynthesis by Human Gut Butyrate-Producing Bacteria and Cross-Feeding in Synthetic Microbial Communities. mBio (2020).
- B-Vitamin Sharing Promotes Stability of Gut Microbial Communities. Frontiers in Microbiology (2019).
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