Ohaekwe Conlethan Chiemerie¹, Ogunmoyero Toluwani Samuel², Ali Victor Ekoche³, Taiwo Bakare Abidola⁴, and Sylvanus Precious Ihechiluru⁵
¹Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural Science, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Nigeria
²Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Basic Science, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria
³Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
⁴Department of Environmental Science, Georgia Southern University, Georgia, USA
⁵Federal Medical Center, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria
Publication History
Received 23.03.2025
Accepted 25.04.2025
Published online 15.06.2025
Cite as;
Ohaekwe, C. C., Ogunmoyero, T. S., Ekoche, Abidola, T. B., & Sylvanus, P. I. (2025). Enzymatic diversity and functional significance of microbial enzymes in the human gut microbiome: Implications for host health and disease. International Journal of Scholarly Resources, 18(2).
Abstract
The human gut microbiome represents one of the most enzymatically diverse ecosystems on Earth, harboring millions of microbial genes encoding thousands of distinct enzymes. These microbial enzymes play crucial roles in carbohydrate metabolism, protein degradation, lipid processing, and the biosynthesis of essential metabolites that significantly impact host physiology. This comprehensive review examines the enzymatic landscape of the gut microbiome, focusing on carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), proteases, lipases, and secondary metabolite-producing enzymes. We analyzed the functional diversity of microbial enzymes across different bacterial phyla, their substrate specificities, and their roles in maintaining gut homeostasis. Our findings demonstrate that Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes dominate the enzymatic activities related to complex carbohydrate degradation, while Proteobacteria contribute significantly to amino acid metabolism and xenobiotic detoxification. The enzymatic profile of the gut microbiome varies considerably between individuals and is influenced by diet, age, geography, and health status. Understanding these enzymatic functions provides insights into personalized nutrition, therapeutic interventions, and the development of enzyme-based treatments for gastrointestinal disorders. This research highlights the critical importance of microbial enzymes in human health and their potential as targets for precision medicine approaches.
Keywords:
Gut microbiome, microbial enzymes, carbohydrate-active enzymes, CAZymes, metabolic pathways, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, enzyme diversity, host-microbe interactions, precision medicine
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