Bile acids and oxo-metabolites as markers of human faecal input in the ancient Pompeii ruins

Abstract Small organic molecules, lipids, proteins, and DNA fragments can remain stable over centuries. Powerful and sensitive chemical analysis can therefore be used to characterize ancient remains for classical archaeological studies. This bio-ecological dimension of archaeology can contribute kno...

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Autores principales:	Emanuele Porru, Enrico Giorgi, Silvia Turroni, Riccardo Helg, Michele Silani, Marco Candela, Jessica Fiori, Aldo Roda
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/53dea459de8349f6bbf137db19c4aff1
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:53dea459de8349f6bbf137db19c4aff12021-12-02T14:26:54ZBile acids and oxo-metabolites as markers of human faecal input in the ancient Pompeii ruins10.1038/s41598-021-82831-y2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/53dea459de8349f6bbf137db19c4aff12021-02-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82831-yhttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Small organic molecules, lipids, proteins, and DNA fragments can remain stable over centuries. Powerful and sensitive chemical analysis can therefore be used to characterize ancient remains for classical archaeological studies. This bio-ecological dimension of archaeology can contribute knowledge about several aspects of ancient life, including social organization, daily habits, nutrition, and food storage. Faecal remains (i.e. coprolites) are particularly interesting in this regard, with scientists seeking to identify new faecal markers. Here, we report the analysis of faecal samples from modern-day humans and faecal samples from a discharge pit on the site of the ruins of ancient Pompeii. We propose that bile acids and their gut microbiota oxo-metabolites are the most specific steroid markers for detecting faecal inputs. This is due to their extreme chemical stability and their exclusive occurrence in vertebrate faeces, compared to other ubiquitous sterols and steroids.Emanuele PorruEnrico GiorgiSilvia TurroniRiccardo HelgMichele SilaniMarco CandelaJessica FioriAldo RodaNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Emanuele Porru Enrico Giorgi Silvia Turroni Riccardo Helg Michele Silani Marco Candela Jessica Fiori Aldo Roda Bile acids and oxo-metabolites as markers of human faecal input in the ancient Pompeii ruins
description	Abstract Small organic molecules, lipids, proteins, and DNA fragments can remain stable over centuries. Powerful and sensitive chemical analysis can therefore be used to characterize ancient remains for classical archaeological studies. This bio-ecological dimension of archaeology can contribute knowledge about several aspects of ancient life, including social organization, daily habits, nutrition, and food storage. Faecal remains (i.e. coprolites) are particularly interesting in this regard, with scientists seeking to identify new faecal markers. Here, we report the analysis of faecal samples from modern-day humans and faecal samples from a discharge pit on the site of the ruins of ancient Pompeii. We propose that bile acids and their gut microbiota oxo-metabolites are the most specific steroid markers for detecting faecal inputs. This is due to their extreme chemical stability and their exclusive occurrence in vertebrate faeces, compared to other ubiquitous sterols and steroids.
format	article
author	Emanuele Porru Enrico Giorgi Silvia Turroni Riccardo Helg Michele Silani Marco Candela Jessica Fiori Aldo Roda
author_facet	Emanuele Porru Enrico Giorgi Silvia Turroni Riccardo Helg Michele Silani Marco Candela Jessica Fiori Aldo Roda
author_sort	Emanuele Porru
title	Bile acids and oxo-metabolites as markers of human faecal input in the ancient Pompeii ruins
title_short	Bile acids and oxo-metabolites as markers of human faecal input in the ancient Pompeii ruins
title_full	Bile acids and oxo-metabolites as markers of human faecal input in the ancient Pompeii ruins
title_fullStr	Bile acids and oxo-metabolites as markers of human faecal input in the ancient Pompeii ruins
title_full_unstemmed	Bile acids and oxo-metabolites as markers of human faecal input in the ancient Pompeii ruins
title_sort	bile acids and oxo-metabolites as markers of human faecal input in the ancient pompeii ruins
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/53dea459de8349f6bbf137db19c4aff1
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Bile acids and oxo-metabolites as markers of human faecal input in the ancient Pompeii ruins

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