Glyphosate's Onslaught on Akkermansia
Some scientists believe microbiota aren't using their shikimate pathway. Because they don't need to. But they misinterpret their own findings. Results reveal a large, cancerous can of worms.
Have you heard the term 'Cancer Microbiome'?
That's the mechanism for Roundup-induced cancer, including via tryptophan metabolism.
Glyphosate’s ominous mechanism of action is putting a monkey wrench into a weed’s ability to synthesize aromatic amino acids, most famously tryptophan.
This kills the plant.
Thwarted is the shikimate pathway, and may be considered one of the biggest “oops moments” in scientific history.
Monsanto and regulators were in complete disregard of gut microbial production of aromatic amino acids including tryptophan. It wasn’t known how crucial our microbiota are to health.
“Glyphosate may have an impact on half of the species in the core human gut microbiome.”
'Classification of the glyphosate target enzyme (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase) for assessing sensitivity of organisms to the herbicide' (2021)
We drill it down to specific microbiota disturbed and killed by glyphosate crucial to immunity. And how this disturbance can bring down the community, then its host.
Including honey bees, save that thought.
It's not too late to educate juries and the public about how glyphosate disrupts tryptophan metabolism as driver in cancer, mediated by microbiota.
See chart, Akkermansia are in Verrucomicrobia phylum.
'Low-dose glyphosate exposure alters gut microbiota composition and modulates gut homeostasis' (2023)
Authors failed to discuss Akkermansia wiped-out by glyphosate, as if that were not important. This graphic in Supplementary material.
Why does this matter?
We see a large decline in Firmicutes, accompanied by Bacteroidetes overgrowth, likely due to raised pH. This alone can describe an inflammatory cancer microbiome.
But Akkermansia have very special function in maintaining the gut lining. Without their health, we have raised intestinal permeability, known as leaky gut. They are also crucial players in tryptophan metabolism.
Akkermansia are relatively the MOST active in shikimate pathway transcriptional research per another source, which omitted discussion of Bacteroides in their findings, even while Bacteroides dominate the shikimate pathway metagenome by far.
In this research, authors make the bold claim gut microbiota are not using their shikimate pathway:
’Computational modelling provides insight into the effects of glyphosate on the shikimate pathway in the human gut microbiome’ (2020)
”Shikimate pathway is mostly transcriptionally inactive in the human gut microbiome”
“Most gut microbiome bacteria do not possess a complete shikimate pathway”
"Although the shikimate pathway was detected in 98% of the metagenome samples, it was only detected in 35% of the metatranscriptome samples. The total assigned abundance to the shikimate pathway was approximately 10 times lower for the metatranscriptome than for the metagenome. The shikimate pathway's transcript pool was dominated by Akkermansia muciniphila, which represented 29.4% of the gene expression assigned to the shikimate pathway although this species only represented 5% of the assigned abundance of at the genome level."
They have nothing more to say about Akkermansia.
Their chart used to claim inactivity omits Bacteroides, even while they noted Bacteroides dominate in shikimate pathway genes. Authors had nothing to say regarding Bacteroides supposedly not utilizing their prolific shikimate pathway, other than such inactivity has been known.
Authors make the brazen claim the shikimate pathway is mainly inactive in gut microbiota, as if dietary tryptophan is enough to maintain homeostasis. This view reeks of ego, yet they cite a study actually making that claim:
’Glyphosate has limited short-term effects on commensal bacterial community composition in the gut environment due to sufficient aromatic amino acid levels’
“We conclude that sufficient intestinal levels of aromatic amino acids provided by the diet alleviates the need for bacterial synthesis of aromatic amino acids and thus prevents an antimicrobial effect of glyphosate in vivo. It is however possible that the situation is different in cases of human malnutrition or in production animals.”
So, the scientific community would have us believe a good meal plan is enough, and that microbial synthesis of amino acids in inconsequential. But this view is an absurdity where goal is to conceal a lack of bioethics, and the biological plausibility for glyphosate-induced cancers. This is pure hubris to believe dietary tryptophan is enough to maintain homeostasis in the microbiome.
Moreover, it obscures glyphosate for what it is, an abuse of science. The purpose of science per Barry Commoner is to live within nature, not to alter nature. Glyphosate’s inhibition of microbiota leads to their demise, and a deadened factory which is the gut microbiome, reliant on cross-feeding.
Microbes are known to share what they produce with other microbes. The auxotrophs are fed by the prototrophs:
’Amino acid auxotrophies in human gut bacteria are linked to higher microbiome diversity and long-term stability’ (2023)
“Auxotrophic members of the gut microbial community might obtain essential nutrients via cross-feeding interactions with prototrophic organisms within their microbial community.”
“cross-feeding of amino acids and vitamins between different members of the human gut microbiota could be crucial determinants of microbiome dynamics, resilience, and the contribution of gut microbes to human metabolism and health.”
This concurs with Nancy Moran’s honey bee research where glyphosate stifles cross-feeding:
’Impact of Glyphosate on the Honey Bee Gut Microbiota: Effects of Intensity, Duration, and Timing of Exposure (2020)
"Our findings show for the first time that glyphosate-mediated perturbation of the bee gut microbiota, especially the effects on Snodgrassella abundance, is dose dependent and that a similar pattern of perturbation occurs regardless of the age of the bee and duration of exposure."
"Colonization by Snodgrassella and other species able to synthesize all amino acids may foster the establishment of Lactobacillus species from Firm-4 and Firm-5 clades, which cannot synthesize some essential amino acids (19). Thus, inhibition of the shikimate pathway may deplete essential nutrients required by the hindgut community as a whole, culminating in bacterial death."
Indeed, the globe is suffering a Lactobacillus crisis, key players of tryptophan metabolism via AhR activation. We now have dying diabetic bees suffering dementia.
Back to Akkermansia (but don’t forget Bacteroides)
Because authors disregarded impact of their own findings, where Akkermansia supposedly leads the ACTIVE (Akktive™) shikimate pathway pack, let’s put this in context of health, including cancer. Because Akkermansia are known protective in both cancer prevention and treatment, as well as tightening gut barrier; a few references below:
Lymphoma:
’Gut Microbiota Modulation through Akkermansia spp. Supplementation Increases CAR T-cell Potency’ (2025)
“B-cell lymphoma patients treated with CAR T cells harbor major gut microbiota perturbations and related metabolism that restrain CAR T-cell therapy. Reprogramming the gut microbiota ecosystem by oral A. massiliensis supplementation induces CAR T-cell niching and Tc1 differentiation in the bone marrow, promoting tumor control in an AhR-dependent manner.”
Pancreatic cancer:
Tryptophan metabolism in pancreatic cancer: A review
‘Too much water drowned the miller: Akkermansia determines immunotherapy responses’ (2022)
“Intestinal Akkermansia muciniphila predicts vigorous response to immunotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer. Baseline level of this microbe has better value than PD-L1 expression and represents a unique approach for stratifying patients who can benefit from immunotherapy.”
‘Akkermansia muciniphila-derived extracellular vesicles alleviate colitis-related cognitive impairment via tryptophan metabolic reprogramming of the gut‒brain axis’ (2025)
”Crucially, AmEVs bidirectionally regulated tryptophan metabolism, reducing colonic serotonin (5-HT) overproduction while restoring hippocampal 5-HT levels and 5-HT1A receptor expression. This was accompanied by enhanced synaptic plasticity and BDNF upregulation in the hippocampus.”
NEW GLYPHOSATE RESEARCH SOUNDS TRANSGENERATIONAL MICROBIOTA-GUT-BRAIN ALARM:
"significant shifts in gut microbiome..Akkermansia and P. distasonis and gut-brain signaling molecules including GLP-1 and serotonin..neuroendocrine disruption."
”Gut barrier damage, mucin loss and inflammation persist into the F2 generation.”
”In healthy offspring, Akkermansia muciniphila was more abundant in baseline controls”
”Akkermansia muciniphila was more abundant in unexposed offspring, consistent with its role in maintaining gut barrier integrity and maintaining metabolic homeostasis.”
'Prenatal exposure to dietary levels of glyphosate disrupts metabolic, immune, and behavioral markers across generations in mice'
Prebiotic:
The Akkermansia muciniphila-tryptophan metabolism-aromatic hydrocarbon receptor axis mediates the protective effect of Schisandra chinensis pectin polysaccharide against colitis
Akkermansia muciniphila inhibits tryptophan metabolism via the AhR/β-catenin signaling pathway to counter the progression of colorectal cancer (2023)
BACTEROIDES UTILIZE MUCIN TO PRODUCE NAG (GlcNAc, N-acetylglucosamine which is a precursor of hyaluronan, hyaluronic acid) CROSS-FEEDING AKKERMANSIA TO IMPROVE GUT BARRIER, 2023:
‘Bacteroides vulgatus SNUG 40005 Restores Akkermansia Depletion by Metabolite Modulation’
MENIERE’S DISEASE ABSENT OF AKKERMANSIA:
“The genus Akkermansia was not observed in the gut microbiota of patients with MD whereas the genus was recognized in two HD (Fig. 5).”
HEPATITIS B and the MICROBIOME, 2024
“R gnavus and A muciniphila play opposite roles in HBV infection. A muciniphila metabolites, which benefit the elimination of HBV, may contribute to future anti-HBV strategies.”
“We deciphered the mechanism of the gut microbiota in controlling the development of chronic hepatitis B. Ruminococcus gnavus uses bile acids as mediators to promote immune tolerance, whereas Akkermansia muciniphila restrains this effect by stimulating immune activation to achieve early HBeAg seroconversion.”
Childhood growth stunting:
Akkermansia muciniphila Associated with Improved Linear Growth among Young Children, Democratic Republic of the Congo (2023)
Akkermansia muciniphila alleviates metabolic disorders through gut microbiota-mediated tryptophan regulation (2025)
Dose-Dependent Beneficial Effects of Tryptophan and Its Derived Metabolites on Akkermansia In Vitro: A Preliminary Prospective Study (2021)
'Oral tryptophan activates duodenal aryl hydrocarbon receptor in healthy subjects: a crossover randomized controlled trial' (2024)
"The study will encourage and provide basis for therapeutic trials in inflammatory conditions of the small intestine, such as nonresponsive celiac disease."
"Tryptophan had a modest impact on fecal microbiome profiles and no significant effect on cytokine production. At the doses used in this study, oral tryptophan supplementation in humans induces microbial indole and host kynurenine metabolic pathways in the small intestine, known to be immunomodulatory. The results should prompt tryptophan intervention strategies in inflammatory conditions of the small intestine where the AhR pathway is impaired."
Note:
Gluten allergy is said to have exploded in 2006 when glyphosate began to be used to dry wheat at harvest to stop mold. The pesticide then obliterated small intestinal microbiota required to metabolize tryptophan via AhR, resulting in immune disorders. Glyphosate shuts down the shikimate pathway microbiota depend on to produce tryptophan and the other aromatic amino acids.
Article concept, written and research compiled by The GUT CLUB‘s Founder,
Keith Bell.
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