Could Fecal Phenylacetic and Phenylpropionic Acids Be Used as Indicators of Health Status?

Although most of the health effects attributed to polyphenols may be linked to their phenolic-derived metabolites, the role of the intestinal derived-phenolics in human health is still far from being well understood. We determined the profile of fecal phenolic-derived metabolites, microbiota, biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation, and daily intake of bioactive compounds in 71 elderly volunteers. Phenylacetic and phenylpropionic acids were the main phenolic metabolites present in feces. From them, phenylacetic acid was related with a more pro-oxidant and immune stimulated status, and both were negatively associated with fecal propionate, whereas phenylpropionic acid was directly related with the fecal concentration of acetate. Moreover, phenylacetic acid was negatively associated with the Bacteroides group and Clostridium cluster XIVa and positively with Lactobacillus. These results provide a rationale to explore the potential of fecal microbial phenolic-derived metabolites as possible biomarkers of health status in future studies focused on the elderly population.This work was funded by the Spanish MINECO (AGL2015–64522-C2-R) and Comunidad de Madrid (ALIBIRD-CM S2013/ABI-2728), the grant GRUPIN 14–043 “Microbiota humana, Alimentación y Salud” from “Plan Regional de Investigación del Principado de Asturias”, and by a grant from Biopolis SL, with the framework of the e-CENIT Project SENIFOOD from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. N.S. benefits from a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral Trainee Program of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO).Peer reviewe