-
BMC Microbiology Mar 2023Plant-based diets offer more beneficial microbes and can modulate gut microbiomes to improve human health. We evaluated the effects of the plant-based OsomeFood Clean...
BACKGROUND
Plant-based diets offer more beneficial microbes and can modulate gut microbiomes to improve human health. We evaluated the effects of the plant-based OsomeFood Clean Label meal range ('AWE' diet), on the human gut microbiome.
METHODS
Over 21 days, ten healthy participants consumed OsomeFood meals for five consecutive weekday lunches and dinners and resumed their regular diets for other days/meals. On follow-up days, participants completed questionnaires to record satiety, energy and health, and provided stool samples. To document microbiome variations and identify associations, species and functional pathway annotations were analyzed by shotgun sequencing. Shannon diversity and regular diet calorie intake subsets were also assessed.
RESULTS
Overweight participants gained more species and functional pathway diversity than normal BMI participants. Nineteen disease-associated species were suppressed in moderate-responders without gaining diversity, and in strong-responders with diversity gains along with health-associated species. All participants reported improved short-chain fatty acids production, insulin and γ-aminobutyric acid signaling. Moreover, fullness correlated positively with Bacteroides eggerthii; energetic status with B. uniformis, B. longum, Phascolarctobacterium succinatutens, and Eubacterium eligens; healthy status with Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Prevotella CAG 5226, Roseburia hominis, and Roseburia sp. CAG 182; and overall response with E. eligens and Corprococcus eutactus. Fiber consumption was negatively associated with pathogenic species.
CONCLUSION
Although the AWE diet was consumed for only five days a week, all participants, especially overweight ones, experienced improved fullness, health status, energy and overall responses. The AWE diet benefits all individuals, especially those of higher BMI or low-fiber consumption.
Topics: Humans; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Overweight; Feces; Diet; Meals
PubMed: 36997838
DOI: 10.1186/s12866-023-02822-z -
Scientific Reports Sep 2021Bacteroidetes are efficient degraders of complex carbohydrates, much thanks to their use of polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs). An integral part of PULs are highly...
Bacteroidetes are efficient degraders of complex carbohydrates, much thanks to their use of polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs). An integral part of PULs are highly specialized carbohydrate-active enzymes, sometimes composed of multiple linked domains with discrete functions-multicatalytic enzymes. We present the biochemical characterization of a multicatalytic enzyme from a large PUL encoded by the gut bacterium Bacteroides eggerthii. The enzyme, BeCE15A-Rex8A, has a rare and novel architecture, with an N-terminal carbohydrate esterase family 15 (CE15) domain and a C-terminal glycoside hydrolase family 8 (GH8) domain. The CE15 domain was identified as a glucuronoyl esterase (GE), though with relatively poor activity on GE model substrates, attributed to key amino acid substitutions in the active site compared to previously studied GEs. The GH8 domain was shown to be a reducing-end xylose-releasing exo-oligoxylanase (Rex), based on having activity on xylooligosaccharides but not on longer xylan chains. The full-length BeCE15A-Rex8A enzyme and the Rex domain were capable of boosting the activity of a commercially available GH11 xylanase on corn cob biomass. Our research adds to the understanding of multicatalytic enzyme architectures and showcases the potential of discovering novel and atypical carbohydrate-active enzymes from mining PULs.
Topics: Bacterial Proteins; Bacteroides; Glycoside Hydrolases; Humans; Polysaccharides
PubMed: 34480044
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96659-z -
Theranostics 2020Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious healthcare dilemma, associated with specific changes in gut microbiota and circulating metabolome. Yet, the functional capacity...
UNLABELLED
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious healthcare dilemma, associated with specific changes in gut microbiota and circulating metabolome. Yet, the functional capacity of CKD microbiome and its intricate relationship with the host metabolism at different stages of disease are less understood.
METHODS
Here, shotgun sequencing of fecal samples and targeted metabolomics profiling of serum bile acids, short- and medium-chain fatty acids, and uremic solutes were performed in a cohort of CKD patients with different severities and non-CKD controls.
RESULTS
We identified that levels of 13 microbial species and 6 circulating metabolites were significantly altered across early to advanced stages or only in particular stage(s). Among these, Prevotella sp. 885 (decreased) was associated with urea excretion, while caproic acid (decreased) and p-cresyl sulfate (elevated) were positively and negatively correlated with the glomerular filtration rate, respectively. In addition, we identified gut microbial species linked to changes in circulating metabolites. Microbial genes related to secondary bile acid biosynthesis were differentially abundant at the early stage, while pathway modules related to lipid metabolism and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis were enriched in the CKD microbiome at the advanced stage, suggesting that changes in microbial metabolism and host inflammation may contribute to renal health. Further, we identified metagenomic and metabolomic markers to discriminate cases of different severities from the controls, among which Bacteroides eggerthii individually was of particular value in early diagnosis.
CONCLUSIONS
Our dual-omics data reveal the connections between intestinal microbes and circulating metabolites perturbed in CKD, which may be of etiological and diagnostic importance.
Topics: Fatty Acids, Volatile; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Metabolomics; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic
PubMed: 32373220
DOI: 10.7150/thno.41725 -
MSystems Jun 2022Emerging evidence shows that modulation of the microbiome can suppress intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH)-induced intestinal barrier damage through the regulation of...
Multi-omic Profiling Reveals that Intra-abdominal-Hypertension-Induced Intestinal Damage Can Be Prevented by Microbiome and Metabolic Modulations with 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid as a Diagnostic Marker.
Emerging evidence shows that modulation of the microbiome can suppress intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH)-induced intestinal barrier damage through the regulation of amino acid (AA) biosynthesis. Here, we investigated the protective effects of orally gavaged Lactobacillus acidophilus L-92 (L92) and a mixture of AA in rats with induced IAH. The results showed that both L92 and AA pretreatments effectively mitigated IAH-induced intestinal damage. Interestingly, L92 but not AA prevented metagenomic changes induced by IAH. Bacteroides fragilis, Bacteroides eggerthii, Bacteroides ovatus, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, , and extensively altered functional pathways were associated with L92-mediated host protection. Metabolomic profiling revealed that tryptophan metabolism was involved in both L92- and AA-mediated gut protection. The tryptophan metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) is a sensitive biomarker for IAH in rats and patients with either gut-derived sepsis ( = 41) or all-source sepsis ( = 293). In conclusion, we show that microbiome and metabolic modulations can effectively prevent IAH-induced intestinal damage and that 5-HIAA is a potential metabolic marker for IAH and sepsis. Gut protection through modulation of the microbiome for critically ill patients has been gaining much attention recently. Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) is a prevailing clinical feature of acute gastrointestinal injuries in critically ill patients, characterized by nonspecific intestinal barrier damage. Prolonged IAH can induce or aggravate the development of sepsis and multiorgan dysfunctions. Therefore, the prevention of IAH-induced damage in rats through microbiome and metabolic interventions by commercially available L92 and AA treatments and the identification of 5-HIAA as an important marker for IAH/sepsis have important clinical implications for the treatment and early diagnosis of critically ill patients.
Topics: Rats; Animals; Intra-Abdominal Hypertension; Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; Critical Illness; Multiomics; Tryptophan; Microbiota; Sepsis; Hypertension
PubMed: 35574681
DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01204-21 -
International Journal of Molecular... Feb 2024CoronaVac immunogenicity decreases with time, and we aimed to investigate whether gut microbiota associate with longer-term immunogenicity of CoronaVac. This was a...
CoronaVac immunogenicity decreases with time, and we aimed to investigate whether gut microbiota associate with longer-term immunogenicity of CoronaVac. This was a prospective cohort study recruiting two-dose CoronaVac recipients from three centres in Hong Kong. We collected blood samples at baseline and day 180 after the first dose and used chemiluminescence immunoassay to test for neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of wild-type SARS-CoV-2 virus. We performed shotgun metagenomic sequencing performed on baseline stool samples. The primary outcome was the NAb seroconversion rate (seropositivity defined as NAb ≥ 15AU/mL) at day 180. Linear discriminant analysis [LDA] effect size analysis was used to identify putative bacterial species and metabolic pathways. A univariate logistic regression model was used to derive the odds ratio (OR) of seropositivity with bacterial species. Of 119 CoronaVac recipients (median age: 53.4 years [IQR: 47.8-61.3]; male: 39 [32.8%]), only 8 (6.7%) remained seropositive at 6 months after vaccination. (logLDA score = 4.39) and (logLDA score = 3.89) were significantly enriched in seropositive than seronegative participants. Seropositivity was associated with (OR: 5.73; 95% CI: 1.32-29.55; = 0.022) and with borderline significance (OR: 3.27; 95% CI: 0.73-14.72; = 0.110). Additionally, was positively correlated with most enriched metabolic pathways in seropositive vaccinees, including the superpathway of adenosine nucleotide de novo biosynthesis I (logLDA score = 2.88) and II (logLDA score = 2.91), as well as pathways related to vitamin B biosynthesis, all of which are known to promote immune functions. In conclusion, certain gut bacterial species ( and ) and metabolic pathways were associated with longer-term CoronaVac immunogenicity.
Topics: Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Prospective Studies; Adenosine; Antibodies, Neutralizing; Antibodies, Viral; COVID-19 Vaccines; Vaccines, Inactivated
PubMed: 38473829
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052583 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Apr 2022The microbiota-gut-brain axis is a key pathway perturbed by prolonged stressors to produce brain and behavioral disorders. Frontline healthcare workers (FHWs) fighting...
OBJECTIVE
The microbiota-gut-brain axis is a key pathway perturbed by prolonged stressors to produce brain and behavioral disorders. Frontline healthcare workers (FHWs) fighting against COVID-19 typically experience stressful event sequences and manifest some mental symptoms; however, the role of gut microbiota in such stress-induced mental problems remains unclear. We investigated the association between the psychological stress of FHW and gut microbiota.
METHODS
We used full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize the longitudinal changes in gut microbiota and investigated the impact of microbial changes on FHWs' mental status.
RESULTS
Stressful events induced significant depression, anxiety, and stress in FHWs and disrupted the gut microbiome; gut dysbiosis persisted for at least half a year. Different microbes followed discrete trajectories during the half-year of follow-up. Microbes associated with mental health were mainly Faecalibacterium spp. and [Eubacterium] eligens group spp. with anti-inflammatory effects. Of note, the prediction model indicated that low abundance of [Eubacterium] hallii group uncultured bacterium and high abundance of Bacteroides eggerthii at Day 0 (immediately after the two-month frontline work) were significant determinants of the reappearance of post-traumatic stress symptoms in FHWs.
LIMITATIONS
The lack of metabolomic evidence and animal experiments result in the unclear mechanism of gut dysbiosis-related stress symptoms.
CONCLUSION
The stressful event sequences of fighting against COVID-19 induce characteristic longitudinal changes in gut microbiota, which underlies dynamic mental state changes.
Topics: Animals; COVID-19; Dysbiosis; Feces; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Health Personnel; Humans; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; SARS-CoV-2; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
PubMed: 35157946
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.02.024 -
International Journal of Biological... 2020The interplay of the gut microbes with gut-producing nephrotoxins and the renal progression remains unclear in large human cohort. Significant compositional and...
The interplay of the gut microbes with gut-producing nephrotoxins and the renal progression remains unclear in large human cohort. Significant compositional and functional differences in the intestinal microbiota (by 16S rRNA gene sequencing) were noted among 30 controls and 92 (31 mild, 30 moderate and 31 advanced) patients at different chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages (discovery cohort). A core CKD-associated microbiota consisted of 7 genera (Escherichia_Shigella, Dialister, Lachnospiraceae_ND3007_group, Pseudobutyrivibrio, Roseburia, Paraprevotella and Ruminiclostridium) and 2 species (Collinsella stercoris and Bacteroides eggerthii) were identified to be highly correlated with the stages of CKD. Paraprevotella, Pseudobutyrivibrio and Collinsella stercoris were superior in discriminating CKD from the controls than the use of urine protein/creatinine ratio, even at early-stage of disease. The performance was further confirmed in a validation cohort comprising 22 controls and 76 peritoneal dialysis patients. Bacterial genera highly correlated with indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate levels were identified. Prediction of the functional capabilities of microbial communities showed that microbial genes related to the metabolism of aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan) were differentially enriched among the control and different CKD stages. Collectively, our results provide solid human evidence of the impact of gut-metabolite-kidney axis on the severity of chronic kidney disease and highlight a usefulness of specific gut microorganisms as possible disease differentiate marker of this global health burden.
Topics: Aged; Biomarkers; Cresols; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Indican; Male; Middle Aged; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Sulfuric Acid Esters
PubMed: 32015679
DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.37421 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2020Goat milk (GM), as compared to cow milk (CM), is easier for humans to digest. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and can improve minor digestive...
Goat milk (GM), as compared to cow milk (CM), is easier for humans to digest. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and can improve minor digestive disorders and prevent allergic diseases in infants. It is unclear whether GM consumed in pregnant mothers has any protective effects on allergic diseases in infants. In this experimental study with mice, we found GM feeding enhanced immunoglobulin production, antigen-specific (ovalbumin, OVA) immune responses, and phagocytosis activity. The GM-fed mice had an increasing proportion of CD3 T lymphocytes in the spleen. Splenocytes isolated from these animals also showed significantly increased production of cytokines IFN-γ and IL-10. More importantly, GM feeding during pregnancy and lactation periods can confer protective activity onto offspring by alleviating the airway inflammation of allergic asthma induced by mite allergens. There was a remarkably different composition of gut microbiota between offspring of pregnant mice fed with water or with milk (GM or CM). There was a greater proportion of beneficial bacterial species, such as , and in the gut microbiota of offspring from GM- or CM-fed pregnant mice compared to the offspring of water-fed pregnant mice. These results suggested that improving the nutrition of pregnant mice can promote immunological maturation and colonization of gut microbiota in offspring. This mother-to-child biological action may provide a protective effect on atopy development and alleviate allergen-induced airway inflammation in offspring.
Topics: Adaptive Immunity; Allergens; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Asthma; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Goats; Immunity, Innate; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Milk; Ovalbumin; Pregnancy
PubMed: 32132998
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00184 -
Frontiers in Nutrition 2022To study the prevention and mechanism of oat antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) on enteritis. Oat protein was hydrolyzed by alkaline protease and isolated to obtain oat...
To study the prevention and mechanism of oat antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) on enteritis. Oat protein was hydrolyzed by alkaline protease and isolated to obtain oat antimicrobial peptides. Rat enteritis models were constructed using dextran sodium sulfate (DSS), and a blank group, a negative control group, a positive control group, and an experimental group (low dose, medium dose, and high dose) were established. Through pathological test, antioxidant test, intestinal microbial and metabolite determination, it was found that AMPS can improve the antioxidant capacity of colon, reduce the production of inflammatory cells, and have the effect of preventing enteritis. In addition, the AMPS group is able to change and reduce the abundance of and , increase the abundance of probiotics such as and and the diversity of intestinal microorganisms. Then, the combined analysis of microorganism and metabolites showed that and reduced the contents of amino acid and glucose and promoted the production of phospholipid, while promoted the synthesis of amino acid in the body. From the above, it can be seen that DSS causes damage to the mechanical barrier of the gut. Oat antimicrobial peptides provide a microbial barrier for the gut microbes, which produce acetic acid and succinic acid with small amounts of isobutyric acid, isovaleric acid, and lactic acid. The acidic metabolites produced reduce the pH of the gut and produce substances with antibacterial effects (such as lipophilic molecules, antibiotics, and hydroperoxides). Inhibit the growth and reproduction of other harmful bacteria, , from adhering to and colonizing the intestinal mucosa. Secreted short-chain fatty acids, such as acetate and butyric acid, maintain tight connections between the epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa, thus protecting the mechanical barrier of the intestinal mucosa. Moreover, amino acids are converted into phospholipid metabolism through protein digestion and absorption to promote the production of phospholipid in the intestine and repair damaged cell membranes.
PubMed: 36712538
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1095483 -
Nutrients Nov 2021The effect of a Citrus Fruit Extract high in the polyphenols hesperidin and naringin (CFE) on modulation of the composition and activity of the gut microbiota was tested...
The effect of a Citrus Fruit Extract high in the polyphenols hesperidin and naringin (CFE) on modulation of the composition and activity of the gut microbiota was tested in a validated, dynamic in vitro model of the colon (TIM-2). CFE was provided at two doses (250 and 350 mg/day) for 3 days. CFE led to a dose-dependent increase in , , and . There was a shift in production of short-chain fatty acids, where acetate production increased on CFE, while butyrate decreased. In overweight and obesity, acetate has been shown to increase fat oxidation when produced in the distal gut, and stimulate secretion of appetite-suppressive neuropeptides. Thus, the data in the in vitro model point towards mechanisms underlying the effects of the polyphenols in CFE with respect to modulation of the gut microbiota, both in composition and activity. These results should be confirmed in a clinical trial.
Topics: Adult; Bacteroides; Butyrates; Citrus; Clostridiales; Colon; Eubacterium; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Feces; Female; Flavanones; Fruit; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Healthy Volunteers; Hesperidin; Humans; Male; Plant Extracts; Polyphenols
PubMed: 34836169
DOI: 10.3390/nu13113915