Otsuki Toshifumi

Selected journal : Cell metabolism

The gut microbiota shapes the human and murine breath volatilome

(https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(25)00544-3)

What is the main question of the paper?

Can exhaled volatile organic compound(VOC) profiles reflect the composition and metabolism of the gut microbiota?

How did the anthor address the question?

■Step1

Authors showed a correlation between the composition of the gut microbiota and VOCs in exhaled breath in 27 healthy children. However, the influence of diet and environment could not be entirely ruled out.

■Step2

Authors analyzed murine volatilome by collecting exhaled breath from gnotobiotic mice using a unique murine ventilator system. As a result, they validated that the gut microbiota itself influences the components of exhaled breath and the system can identify VOCs derived from gut microbiota.

■Step3

Authors integrated and analyzed metagenome data from human stool and metabolome data from exhaled breath of mice. They demonstrated the possibility of non-invasive diagnostics.

What is the strength of the paper?

The development of a unique murine ventilator system enabled the analysis of the mouse breath volatilome, demonstrating its potential for clinical application in non-invasive diagnostics by linking it with data on the human gut microbiota.

Comment

I think this study is interesting because it moves beyond correlation and shows a causal link between gut microbiota and breath VOCs. The mouse system is a strong technical point, but the human data are still limited and affected by factors like diet. It would be important to validate specific VOC markers in larger human studies, especially to identify reliable and specific biomarkers.

Comment by Yilin Du