Faecalibacterium

Faecalibacterium is a genus of bacteria commonly found in the human gut. One of the most well-known species within this genus is Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. This bacterium is considered beneficial for human health and is one of the most abundant species in the gut microbiome of healthy individuals.

Roles of Faecalibacterium species in human health

1. Butyrate production: Faecalibacterium is a major producer of butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that serves as an energy source for colon cells, promoting their health and function.¹Lopez-Siles, M., Duncan, S., Garcia-Gil, L. et al. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii: from microbiology to diagnostics and prognostics. ISME J 11, 841–852 (2017). doi: 10.1038/ismej.2016.176²Zhang M, Zhou L, Wang Y, Dorfman RG, Tang D, Xu L, Pan Y, Zhou Q, Li Y, Yin Y, Zhao S, Wu J, Yu C. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii produces butyrate to decrease c-Myc-related metabolism and Th17 differentiation by inhibiting histone deacetylase 3. Int Immunol. 2019 Jul 30;31(8):499-514. doi: 10.1093/intimm/dxz022.
2. Anti-inflammatory properties: Faecalibacterium has anti-inflammatory effects, helping to regulate the immune system and reduce excessive inflammation in the gut and throughout the body.³Lenoir M, Martín R, Torres-Maravilla E, Chadi S, González-Dávila P, Sokol H, Langella P, Chain F, Bermúdez-Humarán LG. Butyrate mediates anti-inflammatory effects of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in intestinal epithelial cells through Dact3. Gut Microbes. 2020 Nov 9;12(1):1-16. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2020.1826748.⁴Lenoir M, Martín R, Torres-Maravilla E, Chadi S, González-Dávila P, Sokol H, Langella P, Chain F, Bermúdez-Humarán LG. Butyrate mediates anti-inflammatory effects of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in intestinal epithelial cells through Dact3. Gut Microbes. 2020 Nov 9;12(1):1-16. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2020.1826748.⁵Rabiei N, Ahmadi Badi S, Ettehad Marvasti F, Nejad Sattari T, Vaziri F, Siadat SD. Induction effects of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and its extracellular vesicles on toll-like receptor signaling pathway gene expression and cytokine level in human intestinal epithelial cells. Cytokine. 2019 Sep;121:154718. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2019.05.005.
3. Gut barrier function: By producing butyrate, Faecalibacterium supports the integrity of the gut lining, preventing harmful substances and pathogens from entering the bloodstream and contributing to overall gut health.⁶Moosavi SM, Akhavan Sepahi A, Mousavi SF, Vaziri F, Siadat SD. The effect of Faecalibacterium prausnitziiand its extracellular vesicles on the permeability of intestinal epithelial cells and expression of PPARs and ANGPTL4 in the Caco-2 cell culture model. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2020 Aug 15;19(2):1061-1069. doi: 10.1007/s40200-020-00605-1.⁷Sokol H, Pigneur B, Watterlot L, Lakhdari O, Bermúdez-Humarán LG, Gratadoux JJ, Blugeon S, Bridonneau C, Furet JP, Corthier G, Grangette C, Vasquez N, Pochart P, Trugnan G, Thomas G, Blottière HM, Doré J, Marteau P, Seksik P, Langella P. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is an anti-inflammatory commensal bacterium identified by gut microbiota analysis of Crohn disease patients. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Oct 28;105(43):16731-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0804812105.
4. Inhibiting harmful bacteria: Faecalibacterium may help suppress the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut, thus preventing their overgrowth and related health issues.⁸Martín R, Miquel S, Benevides L, Bridonneau C, Robert V, Hudault S, Chain F, Berteau O, Azevedo V, Chatel JM, Sokol H, Bermúdez-Humarán LG, Thomas M, Langella P. Functional Characterization of Novel Faecalibacterium prausnitzii Strains Isolated from Healthy Volunteers: A Step Forward in the Use of F. prausnitzii as a Next-Generation Probiotic. Front Microbiol. 2017 Jun 30;8:1226. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01226.⁹Tanoue T, Umesaki Y, Honda K. Immune responses to gut microbiota-commensals and pathogens. Gut Microbes. 2010 Jul;1(4):224-233. doi: 10.4161/gmic.1.4.12613.
5. Association with health: Lower levels of Faecalibacterium have been linked to various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), suggesting its importance in maintaining a healthy gut and immune system.¹⁰Maioli TU, Borras-Nogues E, Torres L, Barbosa SC, Martins VD, Langella P, Azevedo VA, Chatel JM. Possible Benefits of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii for Obesity-Associated Gut Disorders. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Dec 2;12:740636. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.740636.¹¹Miquel S, Martín R, Rossi O, Bermúdez-Humarán LG, Chatel JM, Sokol H, Thomas M, Wells JM, Langella P. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and human intestinal health. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2013 Jun;16(3):255-61. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2013.06.003.¹²Hu W, Gao W, Liu Z, Fang Z, Zhao J, Zhang H, Lu W, Chen W. Biodiversity and Physiological Characteristics of Novel Faecalibacterium prausnitzii Strains Isolated from Human Feces. Microorganisms. 2022 Jan 26;10(2):297. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10020297.

What are the best sources of Faecalibacterium?

Faecalibacterium is a native microbe of the human gut. There are no food sources. Food supplements are currently being developed.¹³Dikeocha IJ, Al-Kabsi AM, Chiu HT, Alshawsh MA. Faecalibacterium prausnitziiAmeliorates Colorectal Tumorigenesis and Suppresses Proliferation of HCT116 Colorectal Cancer Cells. Biomedicines. 2022 May 13;10(5):1128. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10051128.

What foods can Faecalibacterium feed on?

Faecalibacterium is a very versatile microbe and can thrive on a wide range of fibre-rich foods, with a preference for food sources of soluble fibres, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pulses/legumes, nuts and seeds. Including a variety of these foods in your diet provides the necessary sources of nourishment for Faecalibacterium to carry out its beneficial functions, promoting a healthy gut microbiome.¹⁴Nagpal R, Shively CA, Register TC, Craft S, Yadav H. Gut microbiome-Mediterranean diet interactions in improving host health. F1000Res. 2019 May 21;8:699. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.18992.1.

Where to find Faecalibacterium in the Chuckling Goat Gut Microbiome Test

You will find your Faecalibacterium score in the “Butyrate producers” section of the “Probiotics” report in your Chuckling Goat Gut Microbiome Test results. You will also find it in the “Butyrate” section of the “Postbiotics” report.

Synonyms: Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, F. prausnitzii, Faecalibacterium species

Important disclaimer

The Chuckling Goat Gut Microbiome Handbook is an educational resource built to translate complex science into plain English. The information provided on this page is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your GP or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Always check with your GP for interactions with medications/health conditions before changing your diet or starting to take food supplements.

References

• 1
  Lopez-Siles, M., Duncan, S., Garcia-Gil, L. et al. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii: from microbiology to diagnostics and prognostics. ISME J 11, 841–852 (2017). doi: 10.1038/ismej.2016.176
• 2
  Zhang M, Zhou L, Wang Y, Dorfman RG, Tang D, Xu L, Pan Y, Zhou Q, Li Y, Yin Y, Zhao S, Wu J, Yu C. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii produces butyrate to decrease c-Myc-related metabolism and Th17 differentiation by inhibiting histone deacetylase 3. Int Immunol. 2019 Jul 30;31(8):499-514. doi: 10.1093/intimm/dxz022.
• 3
  Lenoir M, Martín R, Torres-Maravilla E, Chadi S, González-Dávila P, Sokol H, Langella P, Chain F, Bermúdez-Humarán LG. Butyrate mediates anti-inflammatory effects of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in intestinal epithelial cells through Dact3. Gut Microbes. 2020 Nov 9;12(1):1-16. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2020.1826748.
• 4
  Lenoir M, Martín R, Torres-Maravilla E, Chadi S, González-Dávila P, Sokol H, Langella P, Chain F, Bermúdez-Humarán LG. Butyrate mediates anti-inflammatory effects of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in intestinal epithelial cells through Dact3. Gut Microbes. 2020 Nov 9;12(1):1-16. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2020.1826748.
• 5
  Rabiei N, Ahmadi Badi S, Ettehad Marvasti F, Nejad Sattari T, Vaziri F, Siadat SD. Induction effects of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and its extracellular vesicles on toll-like receptor signaling pathway gene expression and cytokine level in human intestinal epithelial cells. Cytokine. 2019 Sep;121:154718. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2019.05.005.
• 6
  Moosavi SM, Akhavan Sepahi A, Mousavi SF, Vaziri F, Siadat SD. The effect of Faecalibacterium prausnitziiand its extracellular vesicles on the permeability of intestinal epithelial cells and expression of PPARs and ANGPTL4 in the Caco-2 cell culture model. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2020 Aug 15;19(2):1061-1069. doi: 10.1007/s40200-020-00605-1.
• 7
  Sokol H, Pigneur B, Watterlot L, Lakhdari O, Bermúdez-Humarán LG, Gratadoux JJ, Blugeon S, Bridonneau C, Furet JP, Corthier G, Grangette C, Vasquez N, Pochart P, Trugnan G, Thomas G, Blottière HM, Doré J, Marteau P, Seksik P, Langella P. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is an anti-inflammatory commensal bacterium identified by gut microbiota analysis of Crohn disease patients. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Oct 28;105(43):16731-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0804812105.
• 8
  Martín R, Miquel S, Benevides L, Bridonneau C, Robert V, Hudault S, Chain F, Berteau O, Azevedo V, Chatel JM, Sokol H, Bermúdez-Humarán LG, Thomas M, Langella P. Functional Characterization of Novel Faecalibacterium prausnitzii Strains Isolated from Healthy Volunteers: A Step Forward in the Use of F. prausnitzii as a Next-Generation Probiotic. Front Microbiol. 2017 Jun 30;8:1226. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01226.
• 9
  Tanoue T, Umesaki Y, Honda K. Immune responses to gut microbiota-commensals and pathogens. Gut Microbes. 2010 Jul;1(4):224-233. doi: 10.4161/gmic.1.4.12613.
• 10
  Maioli TU, Borras-Nogues E, Torres L, Barbosa SC, Martins VD, Langella P, Azevedo VA, Chatel JM. Possible Benefits of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii for Obesity-Associated Gut Disorders. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Dec 2;12:740636. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.740636.
• 11
  Miquel S, Martín R, Rossi O, Bermúdez-Humarán LG, Chatel JM, Sokol H, Thomas M, Wells JM, Langella P. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and human intestinal health. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2013 Jun;16(3):255-61. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2013.06.003.
• 12
  Hu W, Gao W, Liu Z, Fang Z, Zhao J, Zhang H, Lu W, Chen W. Biodiversity and Physiological Characteristics of Novel Faecalibacterium prausnitzii Strains Isolated from Human Feces. Microorganisms. 2022 Jan 26;10(2):297. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10020297.
• 13
  Dikeocha IJ, Al-Kabsi AM, Chiu HT, Alshawsh MA. Faecalibacterium prausnitziiAmeliorates Colorectal Tumorigenesis and Suppresses Proliferation of HCT116 Colorectal Cancer Cells. Biomedicines. 2022 May 13;10(5):1128. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10051128.
• 14
  Nagpal R, Shively CA, Register TC, Craft S, Yadav H. Gut microbiome-Mediterranean diet interactions in improving host health. F1000Res. 2019 May 21;8:699. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.18992.1.

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