Esterases From Bifidobacteria Exhibit the Conversion of Albiflorin in Gut Microbiota

is an important microbe that inhabits the human gut. It is capable of metabolizing complex compounds in the human diet. Albiflorin, an antidepressant natural product from in China, is difficult to absorb after oral administration, and its metabolism has been proven to be closely related to the gut microbiota. In this study, we demonstrated that several species were able to convert albiflorin to benzoic acid, and four esterases (B2, B3, B4, and BL) from and were found through genome mining and modeled by SWISS-MODEL. B2 and B3 presented the strongest albiflorin metabolism ability. The optimal conditions, including temperature, buffer, and pH, for the conversion of albiflorin by the four esterases were investigated. Furthermore, the effect of esterase on the metabolism of albiflorin was confirmed by transplanting bacteria containing esterase B2. This study demonstrated the vital role of esterases from in the metabolism of natural compounds containing ester bonds, which could contribute to the development of new enzymes, microbial evolution, and probiotic adjuvant compounds for treatment.