Major
Biology
Anticipated Graduation Year
2022
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
There are tentative reports in the literature that oral hormonal contraceptives alter the gut microbiome in a way that is associated with inflammatory disease. However, the mechanism is unclear. In this project, our goal is to investigate the interactions between drugs and gut microbiota. We hypothesize that the hormones present in the active pills of oral contraceptives have an impact on the taxonomic makeup of gut microbial communities. Additionally, we predict that microbial community members can metabolize the contraceptive hormones administered in the most common prescriptions. Many progestins used in hormonal contraceptives are prodrugs that must be metabolically activated by hepatic cytochromes P450s for activation. Along with the interactions of all the hormones and the gut microbiome, we aim to determine the capacity of gut microbiota to activate these prodrugs and whether the gut metagenome might encode microbial pathways that provide an alternative source of prodrug activation, something that is unknown at this point. In this study we use an in vitro culture system exposing gut microbiota to the most common hormones used in hormonal contraceptives. 16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing will be used to determine the taxonomic effects of the hormones on the microbial communities. Our data shows changes in taxon abundances and diversity in the presence of hormones from oral contraceptives. This project will provide information to the research community on the role of the gut bacterial communities in women relying on orally delivered hormones for contraceptive or health purposes. It will also shed light on the potential that these bacterial communities might be influencing the metabolism of progestin prodrugs, something not currently known.
Supported By
Annemiek Doedens, Graduate Student; Michael B. Burns, PhD, Research Mentor
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
The Hormone Project: Oral Hormonal Contraceptives & The Human Gut Microbiome
There are tentative reports in the literature that oral hormonal contraceptives alter the gut microbiome in a way that is associated with inflammatory disease. However, the mechanism is unclear. In this project, our goal is to investigate the interactions between drugs and gut microbiota. We hypothesize that the hormones present in the active pills of oral contraceptives have an impact on the taxonomic makeup of gut microbial communities. Additionally, we predict that microbial community members can metabolize the contraceptive hormones administered in the most common prescriptions. Many progestins used in hormonal contraceptives are prodrugs that must be metabolically activated by hepatic cytochromes P450s for activation. Along with the interactions of all the hormones and the gut microbiome, we aim to determine the capacity of gut microbiota to activate these prodrugs and whether the gut metagenome might encode microbial pathways that provide an alternative source of prodrug activation, something that is unknown at this point. In this study we use an in vitro culture system exposing gut microbiota to the most common hormones used in hormonal contraceptives. 16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing will be used to determine the taxonomic effects of the hormones on the microbial communities. Our data shows changes in taxon abundances and diversity in the presence of hormones from oral contraceptives. This project will provide information to the research community on the role of the gut bacterial communities in women relying on orally delivered hormones for contraceptive or health purposes. It will also shed light on the potential that these bacterial communities might be influencing the metabolism of progestin prodrugs, something not currently known.