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Frontiers in Microbiology 2024Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly recognized for its global prevalence and potential progression to more severe liver diseases such as...
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly recognized for its global prevalence and potential progression to more severe liver diseases such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, yet the detailed characteristics and ecological alterations of gut microbial communities during the progression from non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to NASH remain poorly understood. Methods: In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of gut microbiota composition in individuals with NAFL and NASH to elucidate differences and characteristics. We utilized 16S rRNA sequencing to compare the intestinal gut microbiota among a healthy control group (65 cases), NAFL group (64 cases), and NASH group (53 cases). Random forest machine learning and database validation methods were employed to analyze the data. Results: Our findings indicate a significant decrease in the diversity of intestinal flora during the progression of NAFLD ( < 0.05). At the phylum level, high abundances of Bacteroidetes and Fusobacteria were observed in both NAFL and NASH patients, whereas Firmicutes were less abundant. At the genus level, a significant decrease in Prevotella expression was seen in the NAFL group (AUC 0.738), whereas an increase in the combination of Megamonas and Fusobacterium was noted in the NASH group (AUC 0.769). Furthermore, KEGG pathway analysis highlighted significant disturbances in various types of glucose metabolism pathways in the NASH group compared to the NAFL group, as well as notably compromised flavonoid and flavonol biosynthesis functions. The study uncovers distinct microbiota characteristics and microecological changes within the gut during the transition from NAFL to NASH, providing insights that could facilitate the discovery of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for NAFLD.
PubMed: 38638907
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1366744 -
Poultry Science Jun 2024Residual feed intake (RFI) is a crucial parameter for assessing the feeding efficiency of poultry. Minimizing RFI can enhance feed utilization and reduce costs. In this...
Residual feed intake (RFI) is a crucial parameter for assessing the feeding efficiency of poultry. Minimizing RFI can enhance feed utilization and reduce costs. In this study, 315 healthy female ducks were individually housed in cages. Growth performance was monitored during the high laying period, from 290 to 325 d of age. The cecal transcriptome and microbiome of 12 ducks with high RFI and 12 with low residual feed intake (LRFI) were analyzed. Regarding growth performance, the LRFI group exhibited significantly lower RFI, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and feed intake (Fi) compared to the HRFI group (p < 0.01). However, there were no significant differences observed in body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), and egg mass (EML) between the groups (p > 0.05). Microbiome analysis demonstrated that RFI impacted gut microbial abundance, particularly affecting metabolism and disease-related microorganisms such as Romboutsia, Enterococcus, and Megamonas funiformis. Transcriptome analysis revealed that varying RFI changed the expression of genes related to glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism, including APOA1, G6PC1, PCK1, and PLIN1. The integrated analysis indicated that host genes were closely linked to the microbiota and primarily function in lipid metabolism, which may enhance feeding efficiency by influencing metabolism and maintaining gut homeostasis.
Topics: Animals; Ducks; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Transcriptome; Animal Feed; Eating; Cecum; Gene Expression Profiling
PubMed: 38636203
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103726 -
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Apr 2024The gut microbiota (GM) and its potential functions play a crucial role in maintaining host health and longevity. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential...
The gut microbiota (GM) and its potential functions play a crucial role in maintaining host health and longevity. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between GM and longevity. We collected fecal samples from 92 healthy volunteers (middle-aged and elderly: 43-79 years old; longevity: ≥ 90 years old) from Changshou Town, Zhongxiang City, Hubei, China. In addition, we collected samples from 30 healthy middle-aged and elderly controls (aged 51-70 years) from Wuhan, Hubei. The 16S rDNA V3 + V4 region of the fecal samples was sequenced using high-throughput sequencing technology. Diversity analysis results showed that the elderly group with longevity and the elderly group with low body mass index (BMI) exhibited higher α diversity. However, no significant difference was observed in β diversity. The results of the microbiome composition indicate that Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidota are the core phyla in all groups. Compared to younger elderly individuals, Akkermansia and Lactobacillus are significantly enriched in the long-lived elderly group, while Megamonas is significantly reduced. In addition, a high abundance of Akkermansia is a significant characteristic of elderly populations with low BMI values. Furthermore, the functional prediction results showed that the elderly longevity group had higher abilities in short-chain fatty acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and xenobiotic biodegradation. Taken together, our study provides characteristic information on GM in the long-lived elderly population in Changshou Town. This study can serve as a valuable addition to the current research on age-related GM. KEY POINTS: • The gut microbiota of elderly individuals with longevity and low BMI exhibit higher alpha diversity • Gut microbiota diversity did not differ significantly between genders in the elderly population • Several potentially beneficial bacteria (e.g., Akkermansia and Lactobacillus) are enriched in long-lived individuals.
Topics: Middle Aged; Humans; Aged; Female; Male; Adult; Aged, 80 and over; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Microbiota; China; Akkermansia; Bacteroidetes; Lactobacillus
PubMed: 38619710
DOI: 10.1007/s00253-024-13140-3 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Mar 2024Excessive liver fat causes non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in laying hens, reducing egg production. Addressing NAFLD via bile-acid metabolism is gaining...
Excessive liver fat causes non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in laying hens, reducing egg production. Addressing NAFLD via bile-acid metabolism is gaining attention. We induced NAFLD in 7-week-old ISA female chickens with a high-cholesterol, low-choline diet (CLC) for 6 weeks. LC/MS was used to analyze serum and cecal bile acids, while cecal digesta DNA underwent 16S rRNA sequencing. The distribution of bile acid varied in healthy (CON) and CLC-fed chickens. CLC increased secondary bile acids (TLCA, TUDCA, THDCA, TDCA) in serum and primary bile acids (CDCA, TCDCA, isoDCA) in serum, as well as glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA) in cecal contents. CLC upregulated bile-acid synthesis enzymes (CYP7A1, CYP8B1) in the liver. Bile-acid receptor gene expression (HNF4A, FXR, LXR) was similar between groups. Microbiota abundance was richer in CON (alpha-diversity), with distinct separation (beta-diversity) between CON and CLC. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio slightly decreased in CLC. Taxonomic analysis revealed higher , , in CLC but lower . CLC had more Mucispirillum, Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group, Shuttleworthia, and Olsenella, while CON had more Enterococcus, Ruminococcaceae_UCG_014, and Faecalibacterium. This study unveils bile-acid and microflora changes in a chicken NAFLD model, enhancing our understanding of fatty liver disease metabolism and aiding targeted interventions.
PubMed: 38612231
DOI: 10.3390/ani14070992 -
Atherosclerosis May 2024Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a novel concept proposed in 2020, which is more practical for identifying patients with fatty liver disease with high...
BACKGROUND
Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a novel concept proposed in 2020, which is more practical for identifying patients with fatty liver disease with high risk of disease progression. Fatty liver is a driver for extrahepatic complications, particularly cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Although the risk of CVD in MAFLD could be predicted by carotid ultrasound test, a very early stage prediction method before the formation of pathological damage is still lacking.
METHODS
Stool microbiomes and plasma metabolites were compared across 196 well-characterized participants encompassing normal controls, simple MAFLD patients, MAFLD patients with carotid artery pathological changes, and MAFLD patients with diagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD). 16S rDNA sequencing data and untargeted metabolomic profiles were interrogatively analyzed using differential abundance analysis and random forest (RF) machine learning algorithm to identify discriminatory gut microbiomes and metabolomic.
RESULTS
Characteristic microbial changes in MAFLD patients with CVD risk were represented by the increase of Clostridia and Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratios. Faecalibacterium was negatively correlated with mean-intima-media thickness (IMT), TC, and TG. Megamonas, Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, and Escherichia were positively correlated with the exacerbation of pathological indexes. MAFLD patients with CVD risk were characterized by the decrease of lithocholic acid taurine conjugate, and the increase of ethylvanillin propylene glycol acetal, both of which had close relationship with Ruminococcus and Gemmiger. Biotin l-sulfoxide had positive correlation with mean-IMT, TG, and weight. The general auxin pesticide beta-naphthoxyacetic acid and the food additive glucosyl steviol were both positively correlated with the increase of mean-IMT. The model combining the metabolite signatures with 9 clinical parameters accurately distinguished MAFLD with CVD risk in the proband and validation cohort. It was found that citral was the most important discriminative metabolite marker, which was validated by both in vitro and in vivo experiments.
CONCLUSIONS
Simple MAFLD patients and MAFLD patients with CVD risk had divergent gut microbes and plasma metabolites. The predictive model based on metabolites and 9 clinical parameters could effectively discriminate MAFLD patients with CVD risk at a very early stage.
Topics: Humans; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Feces; Metabolomics; Cardiovascular Diseases; Biomarkers; Risk Assessment; Case-Control Studies; Aged; Predictive Value of Tests; Bacteria; Heart Disease Risk Factors; Adult; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Machine Learning; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
PubMed: 38581738
DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2024.117526 -
International Journal of Biological... May 2024Fucoidan is widely applied in food and pharmaceutical industry for the promising bioactivities. Low-molecular weight hydrolyzed fucoidan has gained attention for its...
Fucoidan is widely applied in food and pharmaceutical industry for the promising bioactivities. Low-molecular weight hydrolyzed fucoidan has gained attention for its beneficial health effects. Here, the modulation on microbiome and metabolome features of fucoidan and its acidolyzed derivatives (HMAF, 1.5-20 kDa; LMAF, <1.5 kDa) were investigated through human fecal cultures. Fucose is the main monosaccharide component in fucoidan and LMAF, while HMAF contains abundant glucuronic acid. LMAF fermentation resulted in the highest production of short-chain fatty acids, with acetate and propionate reaching maximum levels of 13.46 mmol/L and 11.57 mmol/L, respectively. Conversely, HMAF exhibited a maximum butyrate production of 9.28 mmol/L. Both fucoidan and acidolyzed derivatives decreased the abundance of Escherichia-Shigella and Klebsiella in human fecal cultures. Fucoidan and HMAF prefer to improve the abundance of Bacteroides. However, LMAF showed positive influence on Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Megamonas. Untargeted metabolome indicated that fucoidan and its derivatives mainly altered the metabolic level of lipids, indole, and their derivatives, with fucoidan and HMAF promoting higher level of indole-3-propionic acid and indole-3-carboxaldehyde compared to LMAF. Considering the chemical structural differences, this study suggested that hydrolyzed fucoidan can provide potential therapeutic applications for targeted regulation of microbial communities.
Topics: Humans; Feces; Polysaccharides; Prebiotics; Fermentation; Metabolome; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Hydrolysis
PubMed: 38556225
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131202 -
Microorganisms Feb 2024Calf intestines are colonized by rich and complex microbial communities, playing a crucial role in animal physiology, metabolism, nutrition, and immune function. In this...
Differential Microbial Composition and Interkingdom Interactions in the Intestinal Microbiota of Holstein and German Simmental × Holstein Cross F1 Calves: A Comprehensive Analysis of Bacterial and Fungal Diversity.
Calf intestines are colonized by rich and complex microbial communities, playing a crucial role in animal physiology, metabolism, nutrition, and immune function. In this study, we provide insight into the composition of fecal microbial bacteria and fungi, respectively, as well as the cross-kingdom interactions. We investigated the intestinal microbiota of different breeds of calves by characterizing the bacterial and fungal communities in the rectal feces of Holstein calves and German Simmental × Holstein cross F1 generation (GXH) using 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon sequencing techniques. PICRUSt2 (version 2.2.0) were used to determine microbial diversity and function and explore the reasons why Holstein calves are more susceptible to diarrhea. The results revealed no significant difference in the diversity of fecal microbiota among the groups ( > 0.05). We identified and as the dominant bacterial phyla in the fecal bacterial communities of the two breeds of calves. and play important roles in the fungal community but differ in relative abundance. was the dominant genus at the group level for calf fecal microbiota in both breeds. The relative abundance of , -, , and was higher in Holstein calves, and the relative abundance of , , , and was lower than GXH group. and were the dominating genera of fecal fungi in both groups of calves. LEfSe analysis revealed 33 different bacteria and 23 different fungi between the two groups, with more differential strains found in GXH. In addition, the feces fungi-bacteria interkingdom interactions varied among breeds. Thus, the composition and structure of bacterial and fungal communities in calf feces varied by breed, indicating a potential association between breed and microbial communities. We also found differences in the network between bacterial-fungal kingdoms. We explain the reasons for Holstein calves being more prone to diarrhea. This indicated that breed makes differences in calf diarrhea rates by influencing gut microbial composition and interactions.
PubMed: 38543537
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12030486 -
Microorganisms Feb 2024Gut dysbiosis and subclinical intestinal damage are common in cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to examine the association of intestinal damage biomarkers (diamine...
Gut dysbiosis and subclinical intestinal damage are common in cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to examine the association of intestinal damage biomarkers (diamine oxidase [DAO], claudin 3, and intestinal fatty acid binding protein [I-FABP; FABP2]) with the state of the gut microbiota in cirrhosis. The blood levels of DAO were inversely correlated with blood levels of claudin 3, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), presepsin, TNF-α, and the severity of cirrhosis according to Child-Pugh scores. The blood level of I-FABP was directly correlated with the blood level of claudin 3 but not with that of DAO. Patients with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) had lower DAO levels than patients without SIBO. There was no significant difference in claudin 3 levels and I-FABP detection rates between patients with and without SIBO. The DAO level was directly correlated with the abundance of Akkermansiaceae, Akkermansia, Allisonella, Clostridiaceae, Dialister, Lactobacillus, Muribaculaceae, Negativibacillus, Ruminococcus, Thiomicrospiraceae, Verrucomicrobiae, and Verrucomicrobiota; and it was inversely correlated with the abundance of Anaerostipes, Erysipelatoclostridium, and Vibrio. The I-FABP level was directly correlated with Anaerostipes, Bacteroidia, Bacteroidota, Bilophila, Megamonas, and Selenomonadaceae; and it was inversely correlated with the abundance of Brucella, Pseudomonadaceae, Pseudomonas, and Vibrionaceae. The claudin 3 level was directly correlated with Anaerostipes abundance and was inversely correlated with the abundance of Brucella, Coriobacteriia, Eggerthellaceae, and Lactobacillus.
PubMed: 38543514
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12030463 -
Journal of Animal Science Jan 2024This study aimed to investigate the effects of different levels of the protease DE200 on the performance, egg quality, organ index, and cecum microflora of Hy-line W36...
This study aimed to investigate the effects of different levels of the protease DE200 on the performance, egg quality, organ index, and cecum microflora of Hy-line W36 laying hens. In this experiment, a total of 180 laying hens aged 300 d were randomly divided into three treatment groups and fed diets containing 0, 100, or 200 g/t DE200. The experimental period was 8 wk, including 2 wk of prefeeding and 6 wk of the formal experiment. Regular feeding was performed thrice a day and eggs were collected twice daily, and the feed intake and the egg quality were recorded. The results showed that in terms of production performance, dietary supplementation with different levels of DE200 significantly increased egg production (EP; P < 0.05) and significantly decreased the feed conversion ratio (FCR; P < 0.05) and average daily feed intake (ADFI; P < 0.05) without affecting egg weight (EW). In addition, the addition of DE200 significantly reduced the egg breakage rate (P < 0.05) and tended to increase the Haugh unit and decrease the water content of the yolk (P > 0.05). In the cecal microflora, the addition of DE200 increased the proportions of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes at the phylum level while reducing the proportion of Fusobacteria. Furthermore, at the genus level, the addition of DE200 increased the proportions of Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium and reduced the proportion of Megamonas. This study suggested that the protease DE200 can be used as a feed supplement to improve the production performance of laying hens.
Topics: Animals; Chickens; Female; Cecum; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Animal Feed; Peptide Hydrolases; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Eggs; Random Allocation; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Ovum
PubMed: 38527414
DOI: 10.1093/jas/skae086 -
International Journal of Biological... Apr 2024Dictyophora indusiata is medicinal and edible fungi containing various nutrients. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficient extraction and structural...
Dictyophora indusiata is medicinal and edible fungi containing various nutrients. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficient extraction and structural evolution of Dictyophora indusiata polysaccharide during the vitro digestion based on steam explosion pretreatment methods. In this study, the extraction rate of Dictyophora indusiata polysaccharide was optimized by steam explosion pretreatment methods, which was 2.46 folds that of the water extraction method. In addition, the digestion and fermentation properties of Dictyophora indusiata polysaccharide before and after steam explosion were evaluated in vitro by the changes of molecular weights, total and reducing sugars levels, surface morphology and functional groups, which showed that the structure of Dictyophora indusiata polysaccharide remained stable after salivary-gastric digestion, and partially entered the large intestine, where it could be utilized by gut microbiota. Dictyophora indusiata polysaccharide promoted the increase of beneficial bacteria Megamonas and increased the content of acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid, which was 2.17, 2.81, 2.43 folds that of the CON group after fermentation for 24 h, and 1.87, 2.77, 1.90 folds that of the CON group after fermentation for 48 h, respectively. This study will provide theoretical basis for the high value utilization of Dictyophora indusiata polysaccharide.
Topics: Steam; Basidiomycota; Polysaccharides; Water
PubMed: 38522704
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131116