Hydrogen sulfide has a minor impact on human gut microbiota across age groups

Authors: Liu, Lin; Scarino Lemons, Johanna; Narrowe, Adrienne; Firrman, Jenni; Mahalak, Karley; BAUDOT, AURELIEN - Cryptobiotix; DEYAERT, STEF - Cryptobiotix; VAN DEN ABBEELE, PIETER - Cryptobiotix; HIGGINS, STEPHANIE - Philadelphia Children'S Hospital; MOUTHTAFA, AHMED - Philadelphia Children'S Hospital; Jaganatha Chetty, Venkateswari

Submitted to: Sci
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/28/2025
Publication Date: 8/1/2025
Citation: Liu, L.S., Scarino Lemons, J.M., Narrowe, A.B., Firrman, J., Mahalak, K.K., Baudot, A., Deyaert, S., Van Den Abbeele, P., Higgins, S., Mouthtafa, A., Jaganatha Chetty, V. 2025. Hydrogen sulfide has a minor impact on human gut microbiota across age groups. Sci. https://doi.org/10.3390/sci7030102.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/sci7030102

Interpretive Summary: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gas produced in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and is important to maintaining gut health. However, it was unclear how this gas may impact the bacteria that inhabit the GIT, referred to as the gut microbiota. This was addressed here by studying how H2S effects the gut microbiota of people belonging to different age groups spanning from infancy to older adults. The present research found that H2S exposure changed the production of important metabolites called short chain fatty acids. Of particular importance was the observation that H2S increased the levels of the healthy metabolite called butyrate, but only in older adults. This shows that the effect of H2S may be age dependent. The information obtained from this research are useful to professionals of food, functional food, and healthcare industries.

Technical Abstract: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is an intermediate produced from metabolism of foods containing sulfur in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). At low doses, H2S regulates the gut microbial community and supports GIT health, but depending on dose, age, and individual health conditions it may also contribute to inflammatory responses and gut barrier dysfunction. Controlling H2S production in the GIT is important for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. Yet research on this subject is limited due to the gaseous nature of the chemical and the difficulty of accessing the GIT in situ. In the present ex vivo experiment, we used a single dose sodium sulfide preparation (SSP) as a H2S precursor to test the effect of H2S on the human gut microbiome across different age groups including breastfed infants, toddlers, adults, and older adults. Metagenomic analysis and metabolite measurements revealed that the development of the gut microbial community and the production of short-chain fatty-acids (SCFAs) were age-dependent; that the infant and the older adult groups were more sensitive to SSP exposure; that exogeneous SSP suppressed SCFA production across all age groups, except for butyrate in the older adult group, suggesting that H2S selectively favors specific gut microbial processes.