Bile acids and oxo-metabolites as markers of human faecal input in the ancient Pompeii ruins
| Autor: | Marco Candela, Michele Giovanni Silani, Riccardo Helg, Jessica Fiori, Emanuele Porru, Aldo Roda, Enrico Giorgi, Silvia Turroni |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Porru, Emanuele, Giorgi, Enrico, Turroni, Silvia, Helg, Riccardo, Silani, Michele, Candela, Marco, Fiori, Jessica, Roda, Aldo |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Science Zoology Bile acid Gut flora 01 natural sciences Article Organic molecules Bile Acids and Salts 03 medical and health sciences Feces coprolite Humans DNA Ancient Multidisciplinary biology gut microbiota 010401 analytical chemistry digestive oral and skin physiology Proteins DNA biology.organism_classification Lipids 0104 chemical sciences Body Remains Sterols 030104 developmental biology Archaeology Metabolome Medicine Pompeii Analytical chemistry |
| Zdroj: | Scientific Reports Scientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2021) |
| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
| Popis: | 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. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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