Deconstructed Soil Modulates Gut Microbiota via Humic Materials
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current products addressing gut microbiota dysbiosis, such as probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics, fail to adequately modulate the complex ecology of the gut microbiome, often disrupting the balance rather than promoting a healthy ecosystem.
Innovation Solution
The deconstructed soil (DS) composition, comprising black humic materials, fungal beta-1,3/1,6-glucans, and inorganic clay minerals, creates a chemical environment and physical structure that facilitates cooperative energy usage among gut bacteria, promoting the growth of beneficial species while discouraging harmful ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If probiotics are introduced to modulate gut microbiota, then beneficial bacterial species are increased, but the complex ecological balance of the gut microbiome is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and applies only the essential abiotic components of soil (humic materials, beta-glucans, clay minerals) that create favorable conditions for beneficial microbes, while excluding the live microbes themselves. This approach modulates the gut microbiota by creating an environment that naturally selects for beneficial species without introducing external bacteria that could disrupt ecological balance.
Solution Approach 2:
The deconstructed soil composition acts as an intermediary substance that mediates between the host and the gut microbiota. Rather than directly introducing probiotics or making direct chemical changes, the DS components create a chemical and physical environment that indirectly influences microbial community structure and function, allowing the microbiome to self-regulate toward a healthier state.
2Use of energy by moving object
If prebiotics are supplied to support beneficial microbes, then energy substrates are provided, but the complex energy distribution dynamics of the microbiome are oversimplified
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite material composition containing multiple distinct components (humic materials, beta-1,3/1,6-glucans, and clay minerals) that work synergistically. Each component contributes different properties: humic materials provide electron shuttling and chelation, beta-glucans provide structural carbon and prebiotic effects, and clay minerals provide adsorption and structural support. This composite approach creates a complex chemical environment that supports diverse microbial energy metabolism pathways.
3Quantity of substance
If natural soil exposure is recommended for gut health, then microbial diversity is increased, but contamination by heavy metals and pathogens becomes a risk
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and applies only the essential abiotic components of soil (humic materials, beta-glucans, clay minerals) that create favorable conditions for beneficial microbes, while excluding the live microbes themselves. This approach modulates the gut microbiota by creating an environment that naturally selects for beneficial species without introducing external bacteria that could disrupt ecological balance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potentially harmful practice of direct soil ingestion into a beneficial therapy by processing soil components to remove contaminants while retaining the health-promoting abiotic properties. The deconstructed soil composition provides the same ecological modulation benefits as natural soil exposure without the risks of heavy metal contamination or pathogenic microbes.
4Quantity of substance
If live microbes are introduced as probiotics, then bacterial abundance is increased, but the sterile and safe consistency required for modern products is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and applies only the essential abiotic components of soil (humic materials, beta-glucans, clay minerals) that create favorable conditions for beneficial microbes, while excluding the live microbes themselves. This approach modulates the gut microbiota by creating an environment that naturally selects for beneficial species without introducing external bacteria that could disrupt ecological balance.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention comprises a defined and safe soil substitute, herein referred to as “deconstructed soil”, that supports ecological balance in anaerobic microbial ecosystems, such as that inside the human gut, by shifting energy availability to favor growth of bacteria linked with gut health, and away from the most dominant species and species that are putatively harmful. The invention enables vulnerable bacterial groups to recover from a state of apparent extinction from the ecosystem in question. As it does not contain components that are prebiotic or probiotic, the deconstructed soil represents a new product concept for preventing and treating conditions associated with dysfunctional microbial ecosystems in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals, as well as other anaerobic microbial ecosystems.