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Review
. 2022 Jul 23;23(15):8124.
doi: 10.3390/ijms23158124.

The Impact of Plant Phytochemicals on the Gut Microbiota of Humans for a Balanced Life

Sarusha Santhiravel  1   2 , Alaa El-Din A Bekhit  3 , Eresha Mendis  4 , Joe L Jacobs  5   6 , Frank R Dunshea  7   8 , Niranjan Rajapakse  4 , Eric N Ponnampalam  9
Affiliations
Review

The Impact of Plant Phytochemicals on the Gut Microbiota of Humans for a Balanced Life

Sarusha Santhiravel et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

The gastrointestinal tract of humans is a complex microbial ecosystem known as gut microbiota. The microbiota is involved in several critical physiological processes such as digestion, absorption, and related physiological functions and plays a crucial role in determining the host's health. The habitual consumption of specific dietary components can impact beyond their nutritional benefits, altering gut microbiota diversity and function and could manipulate health. Phytochemicals are non-nutrient biologically active plant components that can modify the composition of gut microflora through selective stimulation of proliferation or inhibition of certain microbial communities in the intestine. Plants secrete these components, and they accumulate in the cell wall and cell sap compartments (body) for their development and survival. These compounds have low bioavailability and long time-retention in the intestine due to their poor absorption, resulting in beneficial impacts on gut microbiota population. Feeding diets containing phytochemicals to humans and animals may offer a path to improve the gut microbiome resulting in improved performance and/or health and wellbeing. This review discusses the effects of phytochemicals on the modulation of the gut microbiota environment and the resultant benefits to humans; however, the effect of phytochemicals on the gut microbiota of animals is also covered, in brief.

Keywords: digestive process; gut microbiota; health and wellness; metabolic diseases; phytochemicals; plant foods.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Classification of Dietary Phytochemicals (self-generated) [EC: epicatechin; EGC: epigallocatechin; ECG: epicatechin gallate; EGCG: epigallocatechin 3-gallate].
Figure 2
Figure 2
The influence of phytochemicals on GM and key roles of GM in humans (Self-generated).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Simple illustration of the metabolic pathway of dietary phytochemicals in human body (self-generated).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Chemical structures of flavones (apigenin, baicalein, chrysin, and luteolin) (self-generated).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Chemical structures of flavanones (hesperetin, naringenin, hesperidin, and naringin) (self-generated).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Chemical structures of flavanols (epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate) (self-generated).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Chemical structures of flavonols (quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, isorhamnetin, and rutin) (self-generated).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Chemical structures of flavanonols (astilbin, engeletin, and taxifolin) (self-generated).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Chemical structures of isoflavones (daidzein, genistein, glycitein, formononetin, and daidzin) (self-generated).
Figure 10
Figure 10
Chemical structures of anthocyanins (delphinidin, cyanidin, pelargonidin, malvidin, petunidin, and peonidin) (self-generated).
Figure 11
Figure 11
Chemical structure of curcumin (self-generated).
Figure 12
Figure 12
Chemical structures of hydroxybenzoic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, syringic acid, and vanillic acid) (self-generated).
Figure 13
Figure 13
Chemical structures of hydroxycinnamic acids (p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, and chlorogenic acid) (self-generated).
Figure 14
Figure 14
Chemical structures of resveratrol and piceatannol (self-generated).
Figure 15
Figure 15
Chemical structures of carotenoids (astaxanthin, lutein, and lycopene) (self-generated).
Figure 16
Figure 16
The potential benefits of phytochemicals associated with gut microbiota (self-generated).
Figure 17
Figure 17
Impact of phytochemicals and diet rich in phytochemicals on metabolic diseases by modifying intestinal microflora (self-generated).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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