Divine Aleru, Microbiome Signatures Research Coordinator

This study shows that probiotics can mitigate the effects of heavy metal toxicity in farmed fish. By binding metals and reducing oxidative stress, probiotics improve fish health and safety for consumption, offering a sustainable solution for the aquaculture industry.

Lactobacillus plantarum CFM8246 shows protective effects against copper toxicity in mice by promoting copper excretion, alleviating oxidative stress, and improving liver function and cognitive performance. This suggests its potential for use in therapeutic applications for copper toxicity.

This study shows that disulfiram, in combination with copper ions, significantly enhances the bactericidal effects against M. tuberculosis, especially against drug-resistant strains. The copper-dependent activity of disulfiram offers a potential new therapeutic approach for tuberculosis.

The promise of copper ionophores as antimicrobials rests on raising intracellular copper to disable core enzymes, restore antibiotic activity, and boost host killing, with clear microbial markers to track response.

This review links the molecular mechanisms of zinc as a pro-antioxidant mediator to lower oxidative stress, restrained inflammation, and clinical signals in elders and chronic disease, with clear mechanistic paths that can inform microbiome interpretation.

This review maps zinc in human health and infectious diseases, linking host zinc control to pathogen survival, clinical trial signals, and simple gene and protein markers that explain microbiome shifts under zinc pressure.

Current biomedical use of copper chelation therapy spans Wilson’s disease, cancer, lung fibrosis, diabetes, and neurodegeneration, with strongest support in Wilson’s disease and emerging roles in oncology and fibrosis, while neuro data remain limited.

Restricting iron import makes bacteria far more sensitive to copper, enabling strong antimicrobial effects at lower doses and revealing gene and enzyme signatures that inform microbiome-aware control strategies.

Wound dressings impregnated with cuprous oxide cut bioburden fast, block bacterial passage, and act against common wound microbes with durable activity, offering a practical tool to reshape the wound microbiome in support of healing.

This case study highlights the difficulty of diagnosing Wilson’s disease in a patient with psychiatric and gastrointestinal symptoms. It underscores the importance of considering Wilson’s disease when unexplained liver dysfunction and neurological symptoms are present, advocating for comprehensive diagnostic approaches.

This study explores the effects of copper exposure on copper and antibiotic resistance genes during swine manure composting, revealing changes in microbial community composition and gene persistence, particularly at higher copper concentrations, with implications for environmental management and resistance gene spread.

This study investigates how copper supplementation affects gut microbiota and E. coli resistance in weaned piglets. It reveals that copper alters microbial composition and promotes antibiotic resistance, with potential implications for public health and animal agriculture.

The study highlights the crucial role of the copA copper efflux system in the virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae by protecting it from macrophage-mediated copper toxicity, a key immune defense.

This study highlights how bacterial sensors for zinc and cobalt operate under tightly regulated metal conditions. It reveals how improper sensing during metal shock can compromise bacterial function, offering insights into potential therapeutic strategies that exploit bacterial vulnerabilities.

Nickel exposure reduces enterobactin production in Escherichia coli, extends lag phase, triggers iron-starvation signals, and lowers extracellular catechols, defining gene and metal markers to track iron supply in Enterobacterales.

This review shows non-classical siderophore roles in copper and zinc handling, oxidative stress control, and signaling, and maps gene–host markers that predict pathogen fitness across urine, gut, and airway.

Yersiniabactin binds copper in vivo, protects PEC from copper stress, and blocks catecholate-driven I)→I) toxicity, yielding a clear urinary microbiome signature with direct clinical use.

The review links copper’s enzyme roles and tight homeostasis to clinical states that shift metal supply at mucosa, offering host and microbial markers to track copper-shaped microbiome risk.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis and copper shows copper rises at infection sites, while bacterial systems (B, R–V, R–T/O) defend against toxicity; these markers inform clinical risk and target discovery.

What was studied?This original study tested the Role of calprotectin in withholding zinc and copper from Candida albicans and defined when this host protein blocks metal nutrition to shape fungal survival. The authors asked if calprotectin (the A8/A9 complex) depletes bioavailable Zn and Cu around the fungus, how C. albicans adapts its metal uptake systems, […]

Copper resistance is essential for virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis; B prevents copper build-up, and loss of B cripples survival in copper-rich granulomas, defining actionable microbial and host signatures.

The cuprous oxidase activity of O converts toxic I) to I) in E. coli, partners with A and CFBA, and marks copper-tolerant Enterobacterales that can persist in acidic, inflamed gut niches.

Copper homeostasis in Enterococcus hirae maps a four-gene circuit—A, B, Y, Z—and a reductase that set copper uptake and export, yielding clear genomic markers to predict copper tolerance and stress in gut and wound niches.

B tailors Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth to copper-limited niches, boosts fitness in adipocytes, and raises copper stress risk during phagosomal surges, yielding a clear gene–niche signature for clinical use.

Host subversion of bacterial metallophore usage shows that zinc starvation makes S. aureus import copper via staphylopine, triggering copper stress and reducing fitness in vivo; these loci and host calprotectin form a practical microbiome signature.

The extracellular metallometabolome links secreted metallophores and ionophores to metal control at mucosa, explaining microbiome shifts, pathogen fitness, and host defense, with clear genomic markers for clinical use.

This review explores copper’s essential roles in human health and its involvement in diseases like Wilson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. It highlights copper’s dual role in disease progression and therapeutic strategies for copper imbalances.

This review highlights the complex relationship between copper metabolism and microbial infections. It focuses on the role of copper transporters TP7A/B in regulating copper homeostasis and how microbes manipulate these mechanisms to survive in the host.

The study explores how gastrointestinal pH affects copper solubility and speciation during digestion. It reveals the role of food components in modulating copper bioavailability and highlights the impact of pH on copper toxicity and absorption.

This study highlights how Cu imbalance leads to oxidative stress and cellular toxicity, contributing to liver and neurological diseases. It emphasizes the need for tight Cu regulation and offers insights into potential biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for Cu-related disorders.

This study examines the copper-binding properties of Hist-5, a salivary peptide, and its role in combating Candida albicans infections. The findings highlight the critical role of copper ions in enhancing the peptide’s antimicrobial activity through specific metal-binding motifs.

Copper-dependent activity against Candida albicans rises when histatin peptides bind copper via a proximal bis-His site, lowering C50 and improving killing in vitro; copper chelation reverses this effect.

Dietary copper-fructose interactions in rats depleted Akkermansia, shifted Firmicutes families, weakened tight junctions and goblet cells, and raised liver injury signals, defining a dysbiosis–barrier–liver axis.

Dietary copper effect on intestinal microbiota in weaned piglets increased E. coli abundance and raised ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol resistance, while shifting key metabolic pathways without growth benefit.

Copper and zinc toxicity in innate immunity drives early control of bacterial pathogens and shapes mucosal niches. The review links host metal routing and microbial export genes to killing, virulence, and microbiome shifts.

Copper treatment of sepsis links host copper delivery, microbial copper genes, and cell death pathways. The review highlights biomarker value and careful therapeutic targeting to aid control of infection while limiting tissue injury.

This review explores the critical role of copper in microbial pathogenesis, focusing on how the host uses it as an antimicrobial weapon and how pathogens resist Cu toxicity. It suggests potential therapeutic avenues targeting Cu resistance mechanisms.

This review explores copper’s role in microbial pathogenesis, highlighting its use by hosts as an antimicrobial weapon and the resistance mechanisms developed by pathogens. It discusses copper’s involvement in immune defense and fungal virulence, offering insights into potential therapeutic strategies.

Copper serves as both a vital nutrient and a potential toxin, with its regulation having profound effects on microbial pathogenesis and immune responses. In the body, copper interacts with pathogens, either supporting essential enzyme functions or hindering microbial growth through its toxicity. The gastrointestinal tract, immune cells, and bloodstream are key sites where copper plays a crucial role in controlling infection and maintaining microbial balance. Understanding copper’s interactions with the microbiome and host defenses allows for targeted clinical strategies.

This review discusses advancements in chelation therapy for treating metal toxicity, focusing on chelating agents, combination therapies, and antioxidants. Key findings highlight the effectiveness of ADMSA and the potential for improved treatments.

This review discusses the detrimental effects of lead (Pb) exposure on gut microbiota, metabolism, and homeostasis, highlighting its role in metabolic and systemic disorders. It suggests interventions such as probiotics and dietary supplementation for mitigating Pb toxicity.

This study explores how lead exposure disrupts gut microbiota, leading to compromised gut health and systemic issues. It highlights the potential of probiotics and other interventions to restore balance and mitigate Pb toxicity.

The study investigates the effects of Nase I and proteinase K on the structure and composition of multispecies oral biofilms, finding that these enzymes disrupt biofilm integrity and shift microbial composition, potentially enhancing the effectiveness of antimicrobial treatments.

This study investigates PS-rich biofilm dynamics, showing how biofilm dispersal via Nase and PS-glycosidases influences microbial community structure and resilience. It highlights the role of commensal reseeding in restoring microbial balance after dispersal.

This study demonstrates that Vibrio harveyi regulates lead precipitation through quorum-sensing systems, particularly I1, I2, and a newly discovered I3, with implications for environmental bioremediation and microbial interactions in metal-contaminated environments.

This study demonstrates that I) and I) induce zntA expression in E. coli through R, highlighting the importance of A in metal resistance and the potential for therapeutic applications targeting metal transporters.

The study of the Ralstonia metallidurans pbr operon reveals mechanisms of lead resistance, highlighting I) uptake, efflux, and sequestration, and offering potential applications in bioremediation and therapeutic strategies for lead poisoning.

This review defines how lead binding in proteins drives host enzyme inhibition and signaling errors while microbial operons export and precipitate I), reshaping niche metal availability and competitive fitness.

A comprehensive review of Deferoxamine B metal chelator links siderophore chemistry, microbial uptake, and clinical chelation/imaging, highlighting speciation across metals—including I)—and implications for microbiome-related metal competition.

An in vivo radiotracer study defines lead absorption and excretion in the rat: duodenal, bile-modulated uptake; competition with Ca; iron deficiency–enhanced absorption; erythrocyte transport; early renal–hepatic handling; biliary plus urinary clearance; and bone storage.

A mechanistic review links heavy metals and human health to dysbiosis via protein-binding competition, redox injury, epithelial leak, and PS-driven inflammation, outlining organ toxicity and clinical chelation strategies.

This review discusses the toxicological impact of heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, and mercury on human health, particularly their interaction with proteins and enzymes, leading to various disorders and potential carcinogenesis. Detoxification strategies and the importance of environmental cleanup are also highlighted.

The study highlights the cooperation between the A efflux pump and B phosphatase in the detoxification of lead, uncovering a novel mechanism for lead resistance in Cupriavidus metallidurans. This research suggests potential bioremediation applications and deeper insights into microbial heavy metal resistance mechanisms.

This study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms through which Cupriavidus metallidurans H34 regulates lead resistance, highlighting the role of the R protein and its interaction with the A promoter in response to I).

This study demonstrates that lead exposure disrupts the gut microbiome, reducing microbial diversity and impairing key metabolic pathways related to vitamin E, bile acids, nitrogen metabolism, and energy metabolism. These disruptions may contribute to lead toxicity and associated diseases.

This review maps mechanisms and taxa underlying lead bioremediation by bacteria, linking microbial toolkits (PS, phosphatases, sulfate reducers, IB-TPases, metallothioneins) to field performance and clinical microbiome relevance, and guiding signature curation and remediation design.

The review examines the neurotoxic effects of lead exposure, focusing on mechanisms such as ion mimicry, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuroinflammation. It emphasizes the long-term impact of lead on cognitive function and behavior and discusses biomarkers for assessing lead exposure and its effects on the brain.

This review explores the molecular mechanisms of lead neurotoxicity, focusing on ion mimicry, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. The findings emphasize the long-term cognitive and behavioral effects of lead exposure, with implications for clinical intervention and microbiome-related research.

The review highlights the connection between lead exposure and osteoporosis risk in post-menopausal women, showing how lead release during bone turnover contributes to health complications. Strategies to reduce bone resorption during menopause can mitigate lead-related risks and improve health outcomes.

DC lowered the pediatric LRV to 3.5 µg/dL, enabling earlier action, clarifying disparities, and setting exposure tiers that should guide microbiome signature curation at contemporary low LLs.

Meta-analysis shows LAD polymorphism and lead interactions: LAD2 raises LL in workers, lowers chelatable lead, and slightly improves heme indices; bone lead is unchanged.

Clinician summary of prenatal lead exposure and gut microbiome links at age 9–11 in ROGRESS: negative mixture effects, trimester-specific taxa shifts, and a potential second-trimester sensitivity window.

A clinician-focused review updates present-day lead exposure risks and microbiome implications, contrasting older population metrics with PHERL’s prospective data and outlining how exposure tiers, co-exposures, and confounding shape credible microbiome–lead signatures.

Lead exposure has a profound effect on the microbiome, disrupting microbial diversity, immune responses, and contributing to the development of antimicrobial resistance (MR). Understanding how Pb interacts with microbial communities and impacts host-pathogen dynamics is essential for clinicians to mitigate long-term health risks and improve treatment strategies.

Ospemifene is an effective and safe treatment for menopausal vaginal dryness and dyspareunia, particularly in women with contraindications for estrogen therapy. It improves vaginal health without significantly affecting systemic hormone levels, providing an alternative treatment for genitourinary syndrome of menopause.

Ospemifene (60 mg/day) significantly reduces dyspareunia and improves vaginal health in postmenopausal women with vulvar and vaginal atrophy. It offers a non-estrogenic treatment option, especially for women who cannot use traditional hormone therapies.

What was studied?This study examined the systemic and local effects of vaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (HEA) in postmenopausal women, particularly those with a history of breast or gynecologic cancer. It evaluated the impact of vaginal HEA on hormone concentrations, markers of bone formation, and vaginal cytology, including pH and maturation index. The study aimed to assess the […]

This review underscores the importance of nutrition in managing menopausal symptoms and preventing chronic diseases. It highlights key nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, and protein and promotes a balanced diet and regular physical activity as integral parts of menopausal health management.

This study reveals that higher levels of physical activity, especially during leisure time, are linked to reduced severity of menopausal symptoms, particularly urogenital and somato-vegetative issues. It suggests incorporating physical activity into the management plan for menopausal women, particularly postmenopausal women.

This review and meta-analysis demonstrate that psychological interventions, such as BT, BT, and T, can significantly reduce hot flash bother and menopausal symptoms. These findings are especially relevant for breast cancer survivors, offering a safe, non-hormonal alternative to RT.

Veozah (fezolinetant) is an effective non-hormonal treatment for menopause-related vasomotor symptoms. It works by targeting the neurokinin 3 receptor and offers a promising alternative to estrogen therapy with minimal side effects, making it suitable for women with contraindications to hormone treatments.

This study demonstrates that gabapentin 300 mg/day is as effective as estrogen 0.625 mg/day for reducing hot flashes in post-menopausal women. It provides a viable non-hormonal alternative with fewer side effects, making it a good option for women unable or unwilling to take estrogen.

This review confirms that SRIs and NRIs, particularly paroxetine and venlafaxine, are effective for managing hot flashes in menopausal women. These therapies provide an alternative to hormone replacement therapy, with minimal side effects and considerations for women with specific health concerns, like hypertension or a history of breast cancer.

This review assesses the safety of vaginal hormones and ERMs in treating genitourinary menopausal symptoms in breast cancer survivors. It finds no significant rise in serum estrogen levels or an increased risk of breast cancer recurrence, but more extensive studies are needed to confirm these findings.

This review highlights the lack of conclusive evidence on the safety of hormone replacement therapy (RT) in women treated for early-stage endometrial cancer. While a small study found no significant increase in cancer recurrence risk, the low quality of the evidence leaves uncertainty about the benefits and risks of RT use in these women.

This study shows that menopausal hormone therapy increases the risk of gallstones, especially with topical estrogen and tibolone. However, no increased risk for gallbladder cancer was found. These findings underscore the need for caution in prescribing hormone therapy, particularly for women with higher gallstone risk factors.

Long-term use of estrogen and estrogen-progestin therapies significantly increases the risk of endometrial cancer, particularly for women with lower MI. The risk is dose-dependent, with continuous-combined therapy having complex effects based on body weight.

This review offers updated guidance on the use of menopausal hormone therapy, highlighting its benefits when started early, particularly for women with low cardiovascular risk. It stresses the importance of individualized care and decision-making when considering T for managing menopausal symptoms.

This review investigates the stroke risk associated with hormonal therapies in postmenopausal women, comparing oral and transdermal estrogen formulations and highlighting the need for individualized treatment plans based on age and cardiovascular health.

This review explores the thrombosis risks of hormonal therapies, comparing various estrogen formulations and progestins. It emphasizes the need for personalized treatment based on thrombophilic risk factors, highlighting the safer options such as transdermal estrogen and progestin-only therapies.

This study explores estrogen’s effects on thrombosis risk in hormonal contraceptives and RT, highlighting mechanisms of action, the role of different estrogen doses, and the importance of individualized risk assessments in preventing thromboembolic events.

This study examines estrogen’s dual role in breast cancer, focusing on its effects on estrogen receptor-positive cancers and how different therapies, such as ERMs and aromatase inhibitors, mitigate risks while highlighting estrogen metabolism’s role in cancer risk.

The study emphasizes the risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy in managing vasomotor symptoms, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular health. It highlights the importance of timing, formulation, and route of administration in optimizing therapy for individual patients.

This review emphasizes the benefits and risks of HT in managing menopause symptoms, including the prevention of long-term conditions. It advocates for individualized treatment plans, especially focusing on the timing of initiation.

This guideline on menopausal symptom treatment prioritizes early initiation of hormone therapy, safe routes like transdermal estradiol, and vaginal care for genitourinary symptoms. It promotes a tailored approach considering cardiovascular and breast cancer risks.

The review defines menopause vasomotor symptoms treatment and microbiome relevance, favors timely hormone therapy and transdermal routes, details effective nonhormone options, and highlights neurokinin antagonists for fast relief while separating vasomotor and genitourinary care for microbiome-aware practice.

This review sets a simple plan for menopausal hormone therapy first-line management, favors transdermal routes when risk exists, and backs local therapy for genitourinary symptoms with clear links to vaginal ecosystem health.

The review shows that menopausal hormone therapy osteoporosis prevention lowers fractures when started near menopause, favors transdermal routes for safety, and maps ANKL–PG and cytokine shifts with clear microbiome relevance despite no direct microbiota data.

The guideline links menopausal hormone therapy guidelines and vaginal microbiome care to safer symptom control, better SM outcomes, and lower TI risk through local estrogen, with timing and route choices that manage vascular and endometrial risk.

The review defines progesterone endometrial tumor suppressor mechanisms, links receptor biology to therapy response, and outlines immune and barrier changes with clear microbiome relevance despite no direct taxa reporting.

This review links menopausal hormone therapy and vaginal microbiome care to safer symptom relief, bleeding control, and prevention. It favors transdermal estradiol and physiologic progestogens, and it highlights estriol plus lactobacilli for urogenital symptoms with minimal systemic exposure.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (RT) is one of the most effective treatments for women experiencing the symptoms of menopause, particularly vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. But its benefits go beyond just symptom management. RT can also play a key role in improving vaginal health by alleviating dryness and discomfort, which are common complaints among women in menopause. Additionally, it helps prevent bone loss, significantly reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, which are more common after menopause. Despite its many benefits, RT is not one-size-fits-all; it’s essential to tailor treatment based on individual health profiles, taking into account the risks like breast cancer, blood clots, and heart disease that come with prolonged use.

This study demonstrates the potent anticancer effects of a tumor-resident bacterial consortium in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice. The consortium induces tumor remission through selective thrombosis, necrosis, and biofilm formation, offering a promising drug-free strategy for cancer therapy with potential applications in treating solid tumors.

This review explores the role of microbiome-derived metabolites in inflammation-related cancer prevention and treatment, highlighting their dual effects in modulating inflammation and immune responses. It discusses key metabolites such as CFAs, polyamines, and bile acids, along with emerging therapies and the challenges in translating these findings into clinical practice.

This review explores the dual role of gut microbial metabolites in cancer, focusing on their anticancer and pro-carcinogenic effects. It emphasizes the potential of CFAs, bacteriocins, and dietary modifications in preventing and treating cancer, with a focus on colorectal cancer and other common malignancies.

The review examines the therapeutic potential of MT and next-generation microbiome therapies in treating metabolic disorders. It highlights the promising role of MT in restoring microbial balance and improving conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes, though challenges remain in optimizing treatment protocols.

This review examines the immunomodulatory effects of probiotics, detailing how they enhance immune functions through interactions with immune cells in the gut. Probiotics help regulate cytokine release, boost A production, and support gut health, offering potential therapeutic benefits for immune disorders.

The review discusses the impact of gut microbiota on cancer therapy outcomes, focusing on chemotherapy and immunotherapy. It highlights how microbiota influences drug effectiveness and immune responses, emphasizing the potential of microbiota modulation for personalized treatment approaches.

This review emphasizes how gut microbiota influences cancer chemotherapy efficacy and toxicity. It discusses microbial species, metabolites, and strategies to optimize chemotherapy response, suggesting that microbiota modulation could improve treatment outcomes.

This review explores the dual role of the intratumoral microbiome in cancer, highlighting its impact on immune modulation and its potential as a target for innovative therapeutic strategies, including enhancing immunotherapy efficacy.