In silico metabolic modelling links microbiome-derived metabolites to risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease

The gut microbiome has become increasingly recognized for its role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and is thought to influence AD pathogenesis via metabolic crosstalk with the host. However, mechanistic pathways connecting the gut microbiome to AD pathogenesis remain unknown. To expl...

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Main Authors: Tim Hensen, Shahzad Ahmad, Gabi Kastenmüller, Robert Kraaij, Mohsen Ghanbari, Arfan Ikram, Rima Kaddurah-Daouk, Ines Thiele
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Gut Microbes Reports
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/29933935.2024.2443171
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author Tim Hensen
Shahzad Ahmad
Gabi Kastenmüller
Robert Kraaij
Mohsen Ghanbari
Arfan Ikram
Rima Kaddurah-Daouk
Ines Thiele
author_facet Tim Hensen
Shahzad Ahmad
Gabi Kastenmüller
Robert Kraaij
Mohsen Ghanbari
Arfan Ikram
Rima Kaddurah-Daouk
Ines Thiele
author_sort Tim Hensen
collection DOAJ
description The gut microbiome has become increasingly recognized for its role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and is thought to influence AD pathogenesis via metabolic crosstalk with the host. However, mechanistic pathways connecting the gut microbiome to AD pathogenesis remain unknown. To explore potential mechanistic pathways in AD pathogenesis, we created host–microbiome whole-body metabolic models personalized with 16S rRNA microbiome data and predicted emergent metabolic contributions of gut microbiomes. We analyzed 63 metabolites in blood with previously known links with AD. These in silico predictions were then associated with major risk factors for AD in a cohort of 1,065 aging non-AD individuals and subsequently used to inform targeted analyses on serum metabolomics. Our analysis identified increased host-microbial production of L-arginine in older individuals. Lower production of deoxycholate correlated with the neuroprotective APOE E2 allele and it decreased with higher global cognition. Serum metabolomics from the same individuals of cholesterol products and bile acid metabolism corroborated the modeling predictions, suggesting a potential link between the APOE genotype and cognitive health. In conclusion, this study associated metabolic gut microbiome influences on human metabolism with risk factors for AD and identified cholesterol and bile acid metabolism to potentially link with AD pathogenesis.
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spelling doaj-art-680256a57d2f4cadac2575dbc7b4dbf42025-08-20T02:29:59ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGut Microbes Reports2993-39352025-12-012110.1080/29933935.2024.2443171In silico metabolic modelling links microbiome-derived metabolites to risk factors of Alzheimer’s diseaseTim Hensen0Shahzad Ahmad1Gabi Kastenmüller2Robert Kraaij3Mohsen Ghanbari4Arfan Ikram5Rima Kaddurah-Daouk6Ines Thiele7Digital Metabolic Twin Centre, University of Galway, Galway, IrelandDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsInstitute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USADigital Metabolic Twin Centre, University of Galway, Galway, IrelandThe gut microbiome has become increasingly recognized for its role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and is thought to influence AD pathogenesis via metabolic crosstalk with the host. However, mechanistic pathways connecting the gut microbiome to AD pathogenesis remain unknown. To explore potential mechanistic pathways in AD pathogenesis, we created host–microbiome whole-body metabolic models personalized with 16S rRNA microbiome data and predicted emergent metabolic contributions of gut microbiomes. We analyzed 63 metabolites in blood with previously known links with AD. These in silico predictions were then associated with major risk factors for AD in a cohort of 1,065 aging non-AD individuals and subsequently used to inform targeted analyses on serum metabolomics. Our analysis identified increased host-microbial production of L-arginine in older individuals. Lower production of deoxycholate correlated with the neuroprotective APOE E2 allele and it decreased with higher global cognition. Serum metabolomics from the same individuals of cholesterol products and bile acid metabolism corroborated the modeling predictions, suggesting a potential link between the APOE genotype and cognitive health. In conclusion, this study associated metabolic gut microbiome influences on human metabolism with risk factors for AD and identified cholesterol and bile acid metabolism to potentially link with AD pathogenesis.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/29933935.2024.2443171Gut microbiomemetabolic modelingAlzheimer’s diseaseAPOEbile acid metabolism
spellingShingle Tim Hensen
Shahzad Ahmad
Gabi Kastenmüller
Robert Kraaij
Mohsen Ghanbari
Arfan Ikram
Rima Kaddurah-Daouk
Ines Thiele
In silico metabolic modelling links microbiome-derived metabolites to risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease
Gut Microbes Reports
Gut microbiome
metabolic modeling
Alzheimer’s disease
APOE
bile acid metabolism
title In silico metabolic modelling links microbiome-derived metabolites to risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease
title_full In silico metabolic modelling links microbiome-derived metabolites to risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease
title_fullStr In silico metabolic modelling links microbiome-derived metabolites to risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease
title_full_unstemmed In silico metabolic modelling links microbiome-derived metabolites to risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease
title_short In silico metabolic modelling links microbiome-derived metabolites to risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease
title_sort in silico metabolic modelling links microbiome derived metabolites to risk factors of alzheimer s disease
topic Gut microbiome
metabolic modeling
Alzheimer’s disease
APOE
bile acid metabolism
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/29933935.2024.2443171
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