Tungsten, a metallic element, has long been the focus of attention in the industrial sector due to its high strength, high density, and excellent corrosion resistance. It plays a crucial role in various fields such as carbide alloys, specialty steels, and electronic materials, and is widely used in mechanical processing, optoelectronic information, aerospace, national defense, and military industries.
However, when it comes to human health, tungsten is often overlooked, with few people realizing that it is also an micronutrient for maintaining human health.
In recent years, with in-depth research in microbiology and nutrition, scientists have gradually discovered the important role of tungsten in human life and health, especially in the metabolic processes of gut microbiome.
A research team from the University of Georgia found that Eubacterium limosum, a major member of the human gut microbiome, can convert lactate into two short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs): butyrate and acetate. Tungsten is a key element in this important conversion pathway.
SCFAs can promote human immune system function and inhibit inflammation. Lactate is the main source of SCFAs in the gut. The researchers found that Eubacterium limosum, which uses lactate as a growth substrate, absorbs tungstate rather than molybdate and produces SCFAs such as acetic acid and butyric acid, but not propionic acid.
Tungsten-containing enzymes play a key role in lactate metabolism, including tungsten-containing oxidoreductase (WOR1) and tungsten-containing formate dehydrogenase (FDH). One enzyme oxidizes active aldehydes, while the other reduces carbon dioxide. Based on intracellular aldehyde concentrations and the substrate specificity of WOR1, the researchers speculated that WOR1 is involved in the detoxification of acetaldehyde produced during lactate degradation.
Clearly, the process by which Eubacterium limosum converts lactate into SCFAs is highly tungsten-centric. Therefore, the researchers believe that tungsten may be one of the overlooked micronutrients in the human microbiota and overall human health.
The relevant research findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) under the title "Tungsten is utilized for lactate consumption and SCFA production by a dominant human gut microbe Eubacterium limosum".
