Metabolism of aloesin and related compounds by human intestinal bacteria: a bacterial cleavage of the C-glucosyl bond and the subsequent reduction of the acetonyl side chain

By anaerobic incubation with a bacterial mixture from human feces, aloesin (aloeresin B; 1) was converted to 2-acetonyl-7-hydroxy-5-methylchromone (aloesone; 3) and dl-7-hydroxy-2-(2'-hydroxypropyl)-5-methylchromone (aloesol; 4a + 4b) through a cleavage of the C-glucosyl bond, followed by reduction of the acetonyl side chain. An analogous compound, aloeresin A (2), was converted to p-coumaric acid and aloesin (1), the latter being subsequently transformed to aloesone (3) and dl-aloesol (4a + 4b). On the other hand, 7-O-methylated derivatives (7, 5a and 5b) of aloesin and of 8-C-glucosylaloesol were not cleaved to the corresponding aglycones, suggesting the importance of a free hydroxy group adjacent to the C-glucosyl group in the molecule for the bacterial cleavage of aloesin derivatives. This is the first report on the cleavage of the C-glycosyl bond of chromone C-glucosides by intestinal bacteria.