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Gastric cancer-associated bacteria exhibit distinct butyrate and pyruvate metabolism: a metabolomic analysis of F. nucleatum, N. subflava, and H. pylori

R. Niikura,Yoku Hayakawa,T. Mukai,Y. Kato,Naofumi Yoshida,Mitsuhiro Fujishiro

Published 2025 in BMC Microbiology

ABSTRACT

Butyrate and pyruvate are central metabolites in anaerobic microbial metabolism, with key roles in gastrointestinal physiology. We recently identified Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) and Neisseria subflava (N. subflava) as non-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria potentially involved in gastric cancer development. However, the metabolic pathways distinguishing F. nucleatum, N. subflava, and H. pylori remain poorly characterized. We performed capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOFMS) to profile the metabolic outputs of these three species under isolated culture conditions. Distinct metabolic signatures were observed: F. nucleatum predominantly synthesized butyrate via the acetyl-CoA pathway, whereas N. subflava produced high levels of pyruvate and employed a cyclical route regenerating pyruvate from acetyl-CoA. In contrast, H. pylori lacked significant production of either metabolite. This study delineates species-specific metabolic programs among gastric cancer-associated bacteria and highlights unique butyrate and pyruvate metabolism as a potential axis of microbe–host and microbe–microbe interaction in the gastric environment.

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