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The Science of the Total Environment Jun 2024Schwertmannite (Sch) is found in environments abundant in iron and sulfate. Microorganisms that utilize iron or sulfate can induce the phase transition of...
Schwertmannite (Sch) is found in environments abundant in iron and sulfate. Microorganisms that utilize iron or sulfate can induce the phase transition of Schwertmannite, consequently leading to the redistribution of coexisting pollutants. However, the impact of the molar ratio of sulfate to iron (S/Fe) on the microbial-mediated transformation of Schwertmannite and its implications for the fate of cadmium (Cd) have not been elucidated. In this study, we examined how S/Fe influenced mineral transformation and the fate of Cd during microbial reduction of Cd-loaded Schwertmannite by Desulfovibrio vulgaris. Our findings revealed that an increase in the S/Fe ratio facilitated sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in mitigating the toxicity of Cd, thereby expediting the generation of sulfide (S(-II)) and subsequently triggering mineral phase transformation. As the S/Fe ratio increased, the predominant minerals in the system transitioned from prismatic-cluster vivianite to rose-shaped mackinawite. The Cd phase and distribution underwent corresponding alterations. Cd primarily existed in its oxidizable state, with its distribution being directly linked not only to FeS content but also showing a robust correlation with phosphorus. The coexistence of vivianite and FeS minerals proved to be more favorable for Cd immobilization. These findings have significant implications for understanding the biogeochemistry of iron (oxyhydr)oxides and Cd fate in anaerobic environments.
PubMed: 38936727
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174275 -
ACS Nano Jun 2024Nanoplastics (NPs), as emerging contaminants, have been shown to cause testicular disorders in mammals. However, whether paternal inheritance effects on offspring health...
Nanoplastics (NPs), as emerging contaminants, have been shown to cause testicular disorders in mammals. However, whether paternal inheritance effects on offspring health are involved in NP-induced reproductive toxicity remains unclear. In this study, we developed a mouse model where male mice were administered 200 nm polyethylene nanoparticles (PE-NPs) at a concentration of 2 mg/L through daily gavage for 35 days to evaluate the intergenerational effects of PE-NPs in an exclusive male-lineage transmission paradigm. We observed that paternal exposure to PE-NPs significantly affected growth phenotypes and sex hormone levels and induced histological damage in the testicular tissue of both F and F generations. In addition, consistent changes in sperm count, motility, abnormalities, and gene expression related to endoplasmic reticulum stress, sex hormone synthesis, and spermatogenesis were observed across paternal generations. The upregulation of microRNA (miR)-1983 and the downregulation of miR-122-5p, miR-5100, and miR-6240 were observed in both F and F mice, which may have been influenced by reproductive signaling pathways, as indicated by the RNA sequencing of testis tissues and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction findings. Furthermore, alterations in the gut microbiota and subsequent Spearman correlation analysis revealed that an increased abundance of and and a decreased abundance of were positively associated with spermatogenic dysfunction. These findings were validated in a fecal microbiota transplantation trial. Our results demonstrate that changes in miRNAs and the gut microbiota caused by paternal exposure to PE-NPs mediated intergenerational effects, providing deeper insights into mechanisms underlying the impact of paternal inheritance.
PubMed: 38935618
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c06298 -
Gut Microbes 2024Diet is a key player in gut-liver axis. However, the effect of different dietary patterns on gut microbiota and liver functions remains unclear. Here, we used rodent...
Diet is a key player in gut-liver axis. However, the effect of different dietary patterns on gut microbiota and liver functions remains unclear. Here, we used rodent standard chow and purified diet to mimic two common human dietary patterns: grain and plant-based diet and refined-food-based diet, respectively and explored their impacts on gut microbiota and liver. Gut microbiota experienced a great shift with notable increase in , gut bile acid (BA) levels elevated significantly, and liver inflammation was observed in mice fed with the purified diet. Liver inflammation and elevated gut BA levels also occurred in mice fed with the chow diet after receiving ATCC 29,577 (DSV). Restriction of sulfur-containing amino acids (SAAs) prevented liver injury mainly through higher hepatic antioxidant and detoxifying ability and reversed the elevated BA levels due to excess . fermentation of human fecal microbiota with primary BAs demonstrated that DSV enhanced production of secondary BAs. Higher concentration of both primary and secondary BAs were found in the gut of germ-free mice after receiving DSV. In conclusion, Restriction of SAAs in diet may become an effective dietary intervention to prevent liver injury associated with excess in the gut.
Topics: Animals; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Mice; Liver; Humans; Desulfovibrio; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Bile Acids and Salts; Amino Acids; Diet; Feces; Sulfur; Amino Acids, Sulfur
PubMed: 38935546
DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2024.2370634 -
Edible bird's nest regulates glucose and lipid metabolic disorders the gut-liver axis in obese mice.Food & Function Jun 2024Edible bird's nest (EBN) is a traditional food known for its nourishing and functional properties and is found to be involved in anti-oxidation, anti-aging, and...
Edible bird's nest (EBN) is a traditional food known for its nourishing and functional properties and is found to be involved in anti-oxidation, anti-aging, and anti-influenza mechanisms, immune regulation, and improving cardiovascular diseases, among others. However, the potential of EBN to improve glycolipid metabolism disorders in high-fat-diet induced obesity and the underlying mechanisms remain unexplored. We examined the effects of EBN on glycolipid metabolism in obese mice fed a high-fat diet. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks to establish an obesity model. The obese mice were selected and divided into six groups: two model control groups (normal and high-fat diets) and four intervention groups [Neu5Ac and low-, medium-, and high-dose EBN], with 12 mice in each group. After 10 weeks of continuous gavage intervention, only mice in the high-dose EBN intervention group had lower body weight and total fat content, especially visceral fat. Meanwhile, intervention with three doses of EBN reduced serum FBG, TC, LDL, Ox-LDL, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels and increased serum HDL levels and energy expenditure. Using the high dosage as a paradigm, EBN intervention increased the sialic acid content in LDL, decreased TMAO in the liver, and increased GLP-1 levels in sera. EBN increased the colonic abundances of , , and and reduced those of and . The changes in the microbial community contribute to increasing colonic bile acids, reducing lipopolysaccharide synthesis to protect the intestinal barrier, and lowering inflammation levels. Changes were also observed in colonic transcripts and metabolites and liver gene transcripts and metabolites, which were mainly enriched in pathways of glycolipid metabolism, immune function amelioration, inflammatory signal mitigation, circadian rhythm, bile acid metabolism and insulin resistance. Therefore, EBN may enhance the gut microbiota and intestinal immunity, relieve chronic inflammation levels in serum, improve antioxidant capacity and circadian rhythm in the liver, promote bile acid metabolism, and decrease lipid absorption and lipid synthesis the gut-liver axis. Consequently, this may reduce blood lipid and fat accumulation as well as improve islet function and reduce blood glucose levels.
PubMed: 38934780
DOI: 10.1039/d4fo00563e -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024A whole-grain highland barley (WHB) diet has been recognized to exhibit the potential for alleviating hyperlipidemia, which is mainly characterized by lipids...
Procyanidin B1 and Coumaric Acid from Highland Barley Alleviated High-Fat-Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemia by Regulating PPARα-Mediated Hepatic Lipid Metabolism and Gut Microbiota in Diabetic C57BL/6J Mice.
A whole-grain highland barley (WHB) diet has been recognized to exhibit the potential for alleviating hyperlipidemia, which is mainly characterized by lipids accumulation in the serum and liver. Previously, procyanidin B1 (PB) and coumaric acid (CA) from WHB were found to alleviate serum lipid accumulation in impaired glucose tolerance mice, while the effect on modulating the hepatic lipid metabolism remains unknown. In this study, the results showed the supplementation of PB and CA activated the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and the target genes of cholesterol 7-α hydroxylase () and carnitine palmitoyl transferase I () in the liver cells of high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced diabetic C57BL/6J mice, resulting in decreases in the serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) contents, and an increase in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) content. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA indicated that supplementation with PB and CA ameliorated the gut microbiota dysbiosis, which was associated with a reduction in the relative abundance of and an increase in the relative abundance of , and . Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that these genera were closely related to obesity-related indices. In summary, the activation of PPARα expression by PB and CA from WHB was important for the alleviation of hyperlipidemia and the structural adjustment of the gut microbiota.
PubMed: 38928784
DOI: 10.3390/foods13121843 -
Differential gene expression and gut microbiota composition in low-altitude and high-altitude goats.Genomics Jun 2024Previous studies have presented evidence suggesting that altitude exerts detrimental effects on reproductive processes, yet the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Our...
Previous studies have presented evidence suggesting that altitude exerts detrimental effects on reproductive processes, yet the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Our study employed two distinct goat breeds inhabiting low and high altitudes, and conducted a comparative analysis of mRNA profiles in testis tissues and the composition of gut microbiota. The results revealed a reduced testis size in high-altitude goats. RNA-seq analysis identified the presence of 214 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the testis. These DEGs resulted in a weakened immunosuppressive effect, ultimately impairing spermatogenesis in high-altitude goats. Additionally, 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing recognized statistically significant variations in the abundance of the genera Treponema, unidentified_Oscillospiraceae, Desulfovibrio, Butyricicoccus, Dorea, Parabacteroides between the two groups. The collective evidence demonstrated the gut and testis played a synergistic role in causing decreased fertility at high altitudes. Our research provides a theoretical basis for future investigations into the reproductive fitness of male goats.
PubMed: 38909906
DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2024.110890 -
Journal of Endocrinological... Jun 2024People with metabolically healthy (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) differ for the presence or absence of cardio-metabolic complications, respectively.
BACKGROUND
People with metabolically healthy (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) differ for the presence or absence of cardio-metabolic complications, respectively.
OBJECTIVE
Based on these differences, we are interested in deepening whether these obesity phenotypes could be linked to changes in microbiota and metabolome profiles. In this respect, the overt role of microbiota taxa composition and relative metabolic profiles is not completely understood. At this aim, biochemical and nutritional parameters, fecal microbiota, metabolome and SCFA compositions were inspected in patients with MHO and MUO under a restrictive diet regimen with a daily intake ranging from 800 to 1200 kcal.
METHODS
Blood, fecal samples and food questionnaires were collected from healthy controls (HC), and an obese cohort composed of both MHO and MUO patients. Most impacting biochemical/anthropometric variables from an a priori sample stratification were detected by applying a robust statistics approach useful in lowering the background noise. Bacterial taxa and volatile metabolites were assessed by qPCR and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, respectively. A targeted GC-MS analyses on SCFAs was also performed.
RESULTS
Instructed to follow a controlled and restricted daily calorie intake, MHO and MUO patients showed differences in metabolic, gut microbial and volatilome signatures. Our data revealed higher quantities of specific pro-inflammatory taxa (i.e., Desulfovibrio and Prevotella genera) and lower quantities of Clostridium coccoides group in MUO subset. Higher abundances in alkane, ketone, aldehyde, and indole VOC classes together with a lower amount of butanoic acid marked the faecal MUO metabolome.
CONCLUSIONS
Compared to MHO, MUO subset symptom picture is featured by specific differences in gut pro-inflammatory taxa and metabolites that could have a role in the progression to metabolically unhealthy status and developing of obesity-related cardiometabolic diseases. The approach is suitable to better explain the crosstalk existing among dysmetabolism-related inflammation, nutrient intake, lifestyle, and gut dysbiosis.
PubMed: 38904913
DOI: 10.1007/s40618-024-02379-2 -
Gualou-Xiebai-Banxia-Tang regulates liver-gut axis to ameliorate Metabolic Syndrome in HFD-fed mice.Phytomedicine : International Journal... Jan 2024Metabolic syndrome (MetS), characterized by obesity, hyperglycemia, and abnormal blood lipid levels, is the pathological basis of many cardiovascular diseases....
BACKGROUND
Metabolic syndrome (MetS), characterized by obesity, hyperglycemia, and abnormal blood lipid levels, is the pathological basis of many cardiovascular diseases. Gualou-Xiebai-Banxia-Tang decoction (GT) was first described in the Synopsis of the Golden Chamber, the earliest traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) monograph on diagnosis and treatment of miscellaneous diseases in China. According to TCM precepts, based on its ability to activate yang to release stagnation, activate qi to reduce depression, remove phlegm, and broaden the chest, GT has been used for more than 2,000 years to treat cardiovascular ailments. However, the molecular bases of its therapeutic mechanisms remain unclear.
PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to identify lipid- and glucose-related hepatic genes differentially regulated by GT, and to assess GT impact on gut microbiota composition, in mice with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced MetS.
STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS
ApoE/ mice were fed with an HFD for 24 weeks, with or without concurrent GT supplementation, to induce MetS. At the study's end, body weight, visceral fat weight, blood lipid levels, and insulin sensitivity were measured, and histopathological staining was used to evaluate hepatosteatosis and intestinal barrier integrity. Liver transcriptomics was used for analysis of differentially expressed genes in liver and prediction of relevant regulatory pathways. Hepatic lipid/glucose metabolism-related genes and proteins were detected by RT-qPCR and western blotting. Gut microbial composition was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
RESULTS
GT administration reduced MetS-related liver steatosis and weight gain, promoted insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism, and beneficially modulated gut microbiota composition by decreasing the relative abundance of g_Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and increasing the relative abundance of g_Alistipes. Liver transcriptomics revealed that GT regulated the expression of genes related to lipid and glucose metabolism (Pparγ, Igf1, Gpnmb, and Trem2) and of genes encoding chemokines/chemokine receptors (e.g. Cxcl9 and Cx3cr1). Significant, positive correlations were found for Ccr2, Ccl4, Ccr1, and Cx3cr1 and the g_Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, and between Cxcl9, Ccr2, Ccl4, and Cx3cr1 and g_Desulfovibrio. GT treatment downregulated the protein expressions of SCD1 and CX3CR1 and upregulated the expression of PCK1 protein.
CONCLUSION
GT supplementation alleviates HFD-induced MetS in mice by improving hepatic lipid and glucose metabolism. The anti-metabolic syndrome effects of GT may be related to the regulation of the gut-liver axis.
PubMed: 38901285
DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2023.155320 -
PLoS Computational Biology Jun 2024Microbial communities play fundamental roles in every complex ecosystem, such as soil, sea and the human body. The stability and diversity of the microbial community...
Microbial communities play fundamental roles in every complex ecosystem, such as soil, sea and the human body. The stability and diversity of the microbial community depend precisely on the composition of the microbiota. Any change in the composition of these communities affects microbial functions. An important goal of studying the interactions between species is to understand the behavior of microbes and their responses to perturbations. These interactions among species are mediated by the exchange of metabolites within microbial communities. We developed a computational model for the microbial community that has a separate compartment for exchanging metabolites. This model can predict possible metabolites that cause competition, commensalism, and mutual interactions between species within a microbial community. Our constraint-based community metabolic modeling approach provides insights to elucidate the pattern of metabolic interactions for each common metabolite between two microbes. To validate our approach, we used a toy model and a syntrophic co-culture of Desulfovibrio vulgaris and Methanococcus maripaludis, as well as another in co-culture between Geobacter sulfurreducens and Rhodoferax ferrireducens. For a more general evaluation, we applied our algorithm to the honeybee gut microbiome, composed of seven species, and the epiphyte strain Pantoea eucalypti 299R. The epiphyte strain Pe299R has been previously studied and cultured with six different phyllosphere bacteria. Our algorithm successfully predicts metabolites, which imply mutualistic, competitive, or commensal interactions. In contrast to OptCom, MRO, and MICOM algorithms, our COMMA algorithm shows that the potential for competitive interactions between an epiphytic species and Pe299R is not significant. These results are consistent with the experimental measurements of population density and reproductive success of the Pe299R strain.
PubMed: 38900842
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012233 -
Water Research Jun 2024To enhance the performance of the internal circulation (IC) reactor when treating high-sulfate organic wastewater, a laboratory-scale two-phase IC reactor with distinct...
Optimization of sulfate reduction and methanogenesis via phase separation in a two-phase internal circulation reactor for the treatment of high-sulfate organic wastewater.
To enhance the performance of the internal circulation (IC) reactor when treating high-sulfate organic wastewater, a laboratory-scale two-phase IC reactor with distinct phase separation capabilities was designed, and the sulfate reduction and methanogenesis processes were optimized by segregating the reactor into two specialized reaction zones. The results demonstrated that the first and second reaction areas of the two-phase IC reactor could be maintained at 4.5-6.0 and 7.5-8.5, respectively, turning them into the specialized phase for sulfate reduction and methanogenesis. Through phase separation, the two-phase IC reactor achieved a COD degradation and sulfate reduction efficiency of more than 80% when the influent sulfate concentration exceeded 5,000 mg/L, which were 32.32% and 16.04% higher than that before phase separation. Functional analyses indicated a greater activity of both the dissimilatory and assimilatory sulfate reduction pathways in the acidogenic phase, largely due to a rise in the relative abundance of the genera Desulfovibrio, Bacteroides, and Lacticaseibacillus, the primary carriers of sulfate reduction functional genes. In contrast, all the acetoclastic, hydrogenotrophic, and methylotrophic methanogenesis pathways were inhibited in the acidogenic phase but thrived in the methanogenic phase, coinciding with shifts in the genus Methanothrix, which harbors the mcrA, mcrB, and mcrG genes essential for the final transformation step of all three methanogenesis pathways.
PubMed: 38896887
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121918