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Frontiers in Microbiology 2024Gastric and intestinal diseases possess distinct characteristics although they are interconnected. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the...
OBJECTIVE
Gastric and intestinal diseases possess distinct characteristics although they are interconnected. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal diseases through different analyses of clinical characteristics, serum immunology, and gut microbiota in patients with gastrointestinal diseases.
METHODS
We collected serum samples from 89 patients with gastrointestinal diseases and 9 healthy controls for immunological assessment, stool samples for DNA extraction, library construction, sequencing, as well as clinical data for subsequent analysis.
RESULTS
Regarding clinical characteristics, there were significant differences between the disease group and the healthy control (HC) group, particularly in terms of age, cancer antigen 125 (CA125), cancer antigen 199 (CA199), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), total bilirubin (TBIL) and indirect bilirubin (IBIL). The intestinal disease (ID) group exhibited the highest IL-6 level, which significantly differed from the stomach disease (SD) group ( < 0.05). In comparing the HC with the ID groups, significant differences in abundance were detected across 46 species. The HC group displayed a greater abundance of and than other species. Similarly, when comparing the HC with the SD groups, significant differences in abundance were identified among 49 species, with only one species that the in the HC group exhibited a higher abundance than others. Furthermore, certain clinical characteristics, such as CA125, CA199, glucose (Glu), creatine kinase-MB (CKMB) and interleukin-22 (IL-22), displayed positive correlations with enriched gut species in the ID and SD groups, while exhibiting a negative correlation with the HC group.
CONCLUSION
The disturbance in human gut microbiota is intimately associated with the development and progression of gastrointestinal diseases. Moreover, the gut microbiota in the HC group was found more diverse than that in the ID and SD groups, and there were significant differences in microbial species among the three groups at different classification levels. Notably, a correlation was identified between specific clinical characteristics (e.g., CA125, CA199, Glu, CKMB and IL-22) and gut microbiota among patients with gastrointestinal diseases.
PubMed: 38751718
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1323842 -
BMC Nutrition May 2024The outbreak of cardiovascular disease (CVD) augments with age. Gut dysbiosis can worsen or initiate systemic disorders such as metabolic diseases and CVDs. Therefore,...
INTRODUCTION
The outbreak of cardiovascular disease (CVD) augments with age. Gut dysbiosis can worsen or initiate systemic disorders such as metabolic diseases and CVDs. Therefore, this research aimed to assess the effect of kefir fortified with Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R017 on CVD risk factors in the elderly population. The subjects of this study were selected from the Motahari Clinic in Shiraz, Iran.
METHOD
This study was a double-blind, randomized, and controlled clinical trial that was conducted on 67 elderly people who were randomly divided into two groups: the fortified kefir group (n = 32), which received one bottle of fortified kefir (240 cc), and the placebo group (n = 35), which received one bottle of regular kefir for eight weeks. To analyze the data, SPSS software was applied.
RESULTS
After eight weeks, significant differences were seen in atherogenic and Castell's risk index I between the fortified and regular groups (p = 0.048 and p = 0.048, respectively). No significant differences were found in Castelli's risk index II, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), non-HDL-C, TG-cholesterol index, and fasting blood sugar by comparing the two groups.
CONCLUSION
Our investigation demonstrated that fortified kefir with probiotics did not significantly affect lipid profiles. Still, it could significantly affect some indices, including Castelli's risk index I and atherogenic index. More studies are required to confirm the findings and mechanisms of probiotics' effect on CVD risk factors.
TRIAL NUMBER
The present registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20130227012628N3) at 2023-02-21.
PubMed: 38741203
DOI: 10.1186/s40795-024-00875-5 -
Nutrients May 2024Probiotics may represent a safe and easy-to-use treatment option for depression or its metabolic comorbidities. However, it is not known whether metabolic features can... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Probiotics may represent a safe and easy-to-use treatment option for depression or its metabolic comorbidities. However, it is not known whether metabolic features can influence the efficacy of probiotics treatments for depression. This trial involved a parallel-group, prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled design. In total, 116 participants with depression received a probiotic preparation containing Rosell-52 and Rosell-175 or placebo over 60 days. The psychometric data were assessed longitudinally at five time-points. Data for blood pressure, body weight, waist circumference, complete blood count, serum levels of C-reactive protein, cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting glucose were measured at the beginning of the intervention period. There was no advantage of probiotics usage over placebo in the depression score overall (PRO vs. PLC: F(1.92) = 0.58; = 0.45). However, we found a higher rate of minimum clinically important differences in patients supplemented with probiotics than those allocated to placebo generally (74.5 vs. 53.5%; (1,n = 94) = 4.53; = 0.03; NNT = 4.03), as well as in the antidepressant-treated subgroup. Moreover, we found that the more advanced the pre-intervention metabolic abnormalities (such as overweight, excessive central adipose tissue, and liver steatosis), the lower the improvements in psychometric scores. A higher baseline stress level was correlated with better improvements. The current probiotic formulations may only be used as complementary treatments for depressive disorders. Metabolic abnormalities may require more complex treatments. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04756544.
Topics: Humans; Probiotics; Male; Female; Double-Blind Method; Middle Aged; Adult; Depression; Lactobacillus helveticus; Prospective Studies; Treatment Outcome; Bifidobacterium longum
PubMed: 38732635
DOI: 10.3390/nu16091389 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2024Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) that promote the growth of beneficial gut microbes in infants are abundant in human milk. , one of the dominant genera in human milk...
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) that promote the growth of beneficial gut microbes in infants are abundant in human milk. , one of the dominant genera in human milk microbiota, is also highly prevalent in the infant gut microbiota, possibly due to its adeptness at utilizing HMOs. While previous studies have mainly focused on HMO interactions with gut bacteria like and spp., the interaction with spp. has not been fully explored. In this study, spp. was isolated from human milk and identified to exhibit extensive capabilities in utilizing HMOs. Their consumption rates of 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL), 6'-sialyllactose (6'-SL), and lacto--tetraose (LNT) closely matched those of subsp. ATCC 15697. Furthermore, we assessed the safety-related genes in the genomes of the species capable of utilizing HMOs, revealing potential virulence and resistance genes. In addition, no haemolytic activity was observed. These findings expand the knowledge of metabolic interactions and networks within the microbiota of human milk and the early life human gut.
PubMed: 38731662
DOI: 10.3390/foods13091291 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Apr 2024This study investigated the efficacy of a composite probiotics composed of , , and in alleviating oxidative stress in weaned piglets and pregnant sows. Evaluations of...
This study investigated the efficacy of a composite probiotics composed of , , and in alleviating oxidative stress in weaned piglets and pregnant sows. Evaluations of growth, oxidative stress, inflammation, intestinal barrier, and fecal microbiota were conducted. Results showed that the composite probiotic significantly promoted average daily gain in piglets ( < 0.05). It effectively attenuated inflammatory responses ( < 0.05) and oxidative stress ( < 0.05) while enhancing intestinal barrier function in piglets ( < 0.01). Fecal microbiota analysis revealed an increase in the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as , , , , and in piglet feces and , , , and in sow feces, with a decrease in harmful bacteria such as and in sow feces upon probiotic supplementation. Correlation analysis indicated significant negative associations of with inflammation and oxidative stress in piglet feces, while and showed significant positive associations. In sow feces, , , , and exhibited significant negative associations, while showed a significant positive association. Therefore, the composite probiotic alleviated oxidative stress in weaned piglets and pregnant sows by modulating fecal microbiota composition.
PubMed: 38731362
DOI: 10.3390/ani14091359 -
Microbial Biotechnology May 2024Pectin structures have received increasing attention as emergent prebiotics due to their capacity to promote beneficial intestinal bacteria. Yet the collective activity...
A methyl esterase from Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum reshapes the prebiotic properties of apple pectin by triggering differential modulatory capacity in faecal cultures.
Pectin structures have received increasing attention as emergent prebiotics due to their capacity to promote beneficial intestinal bacteria. Yet the collective activity of gut bacterial communities to cooperatively metabolize structural variants of this substrate remains largely unknown. Herein, the characterization of a pectin methylesterase, BpeM, from Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum, is reported. The purified enzyme was able to remove methyl groups from highly methoxylated apple pectin, and the mathematical modelling of its activity enabled to tightly control the reaction conditions to achieve predefined final degrees of methyl-esterification in the resultant pectin. Demethylated pectin, generated by BpeM, exhibited differential fermentation patterns by gut microbial communities in in vitro mixed faecal cultures, promoting a stronger increase of bacterial genera associated with beneficial effects including Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Collinsella. Our findings demonstrate that controlled pectin demethylation by the action of a B. longum esterase selectively modifies its prebiotic fermentation pattern, producing substrates that promote targeted bacterial groups more efficiently. This opens new possibilities to exploit biotechnological applications of enzymes from gut commensals to programme prebiotic properties.
Topics: Malus; Pectins; Prebiotics; Feces; Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases; Fermentation; Humans; Bifidobacterium longum; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Bifidobacterium
PubMed: 38722820
DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14443 -
Gut Microbes 2024Our recent randomized, placebo-controlled study in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patients with diarrhea or alternating bowel habits showed that the probiotic (BL)... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Our recent randomized, placebo-controlled study in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patients with diarrhea or alternating bowel habits showed that the probiotic (BL) NCC3001 improves depression scores and decreases brain emotional reactivity. However, the involved metabolic pathways remain unclear. This analysis aimed to investigate the biochemical pathways underlying the beneficial effects of BL NCC3001 using metabolomic profiling. Patients received probiotic (1x 10CFU, n=16) or placebo (n=19) daily for 6 weeks. Anxiety and depression were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Brain activity in response to negative emotional stimuli was assessed by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Probiotic fecal abundance was quantified by qPCR. Quantitative measurement of specific panels of plasma host-microbial metabolites was performed by mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Probiotic abundance in feces was associated with improvements in anxiety and depression scores, and a decrease in amygdala activation. The probiotic treatment increased the levels of butyric acid, tryptophan, N-acetyl tryptophan, glycine-conjugated bile acids, and free fatty acids. Butyric acid concentration correlated with lower anxiety and depression scores, and decreased amygdala activation. Furthermore, butyric acid concentration correlated with the probiotic abundance in feces. In patients with non-constipation IBS, improvements in psychological comorbidities and brain emotional reactivity were associated with an increased abundance of BL NCC3001 in feces and specific plasma metabolites, mainly butyric acid. These findings suggest the importance of a probiotic to thrive in the gut and highlight butyric acid as a potential biochemical marker linking microbial metabolism with beneficial effects on the gut-brain axis.
Topics: Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Humans; Probiotics; Metabolome; Male; Adult; Female; Feces; Middle Aged; Depression; Anxiety; Bifidobacterium longum; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Metabolomics; Comorbidity
PubMed: 38717445
DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2024.2347715 -
Current Developments in Nutrition May 2024The microbiota-gut-brain axis is a promising target to alleviate the growing burden of neurologic and mental health disorders. Dietary polyphenols act on multiple...
Effects of a Flavonoid-Rich Blackcurrant Beverage on Markers of the Gut-Brain Axis in Healthy Females: Secondary Findings From a 4-Week Randomized Crossover Control Trial.
The microbiota-gut-brain axis is a promising target to alleviate the growing burden of neurologic and mental health disorders. Dietary polyphenols act on multiple components of the microbiota-gut-brain axis, but this complex relationship requires further attention. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial (ACTRN12622000850774) compared 4 wk of a commercially available flavonoid-rich blackcurrant beverage (FBB; 151 mg anthocyanins, 308 mg total polyphenols) with placebo in 40 healthy females (18-45 y). The primary outcome of stress reactivity was assessed by change in present feelings of stress, mood, and fatigue before and after completing a 20-min cognitive stressor [Purple multitasking framework (MTF)]. Secondary end points included cognitive performance (MTF), mood [profile of mood states (POMS)], sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), fecal microbiome composition and functional potential (shotgun sequencing), and blood biomarker concentrations (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tryptophan, kynurenine, and interleukin 6). Statistical analyses were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis using linear mixed-effect models. Thirty-eight participants completed both intervention arms. There was no significant treatment effect on the primary outcome of stress reactivity. Compared with placebo, working memory (letter retrieval scores from MTF), and anxiety/tension and anger/hostility domains of the POMS improved with FBB supplementation (time × intervention interaction; < 0.05). There were no treatment effects on gut microbiome composition or functional potential. Baseline abundances of genera and species ( and ) tended to be higher in participants with the greatest improvements in letter retrieval scores with FBB supplementation (nominally significant, < 0.05) In conclusion, 4-wk FBB supplementation improved secondary outcomes of working memory performance during multitasking and mood outcomes in healthy adult females. These results should be confirmed in a larger cohort with a longer duration of follow-up.
PubMed: 38716086
DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102158 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2024subsp. UABl-14 is an important probiotic strain that was found to support digestive health. Here we present the development and validation of real-time PCR methods for...
subsp. UABl-14 is an important probiotic strain that was found to support digestive health. Here we present the development and validation of real-time PCR methods for strain-specific identification and enumeration of this important strain. The identification method was evaluated for specificity using 22 target samples and 30 non-target samples. All target samples successfully amplified, while no amplification was observed from any non-target samples including other strains. The identification method was evaluated for sensitivity using three DNA dilution series and the limit of detection was 2 pg. of DNA. Coupled with a viability dye, the method was further validated for quantitative use to enumerate viable cells of UABl-14. The viability dye treatment (PMAxx) was optimized, and a final concentration of 50 μM was found as an effective concentration to inactivate DNA in dead cells from reacting in PCR. The reaction efficiency, linear dynamic range, repeatability, and reproducibility were also evaluated. The reaction efficiency was determined to be 97.2, 95.2, and 95.0% with values of 99%, in three replicates. The linear dynamic range was 1.3 × 10 to 1.3 × 10 genomes. The relative standard deviation (RSD%) for repeatability ranged from 0.03 to 2.80, and for reproducibility ranged from 0.04 to 2.18. The ability of the validated enumeration method to monitor cell counts during shelf life was evaluated by determining the viable counts and total counts of strain UABl-14 in 18 multi-strain finished products. The viable counts were lower than label claims in seven products tested post-expiration and were higher than label claims in products tested pre-expiration, with a slight decrease in viable counts below label claim in three samples that were tested 2-3 months pre-expiration. Interestingly, the total counts of strain UABl-14 were consistently higher than label claims in all 18 products. Thus, the method enables strain-specific stability monitoring in finished products during shelf life, which can be difficult or impossible to achieve using the standard plate count method. The validated methods allow for simultaneous and cost-effective identification and enumeration of strain UABl-14 and represent an advancement in the quality control and quality assurance of probiotics.
PubMed: 38706967
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1360241 -
Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness Oct 2024Probiotic supplementation has a positive effect on endurance exercise performance and body composition in athletes, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Gut...
Effects of probiotic supplementation on 12 min run performance, mood management, body composition and gut microbiota in amateur marathon runners: A double-blind controlled trial.
BACKGROUND
Probiotic supplementation has a positive effect on endurance exercise performance and body composition in athletes, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Gut microbiota can provide measurable markers of immune function in athletes, and microbial composition analysis may be sensitive enough to detect stress and metabolic disorders caused by exercise.
METHODS
Nineteen healthy active amateur marathon runners (15 male and 4 female) with a mean age of 29.11 years volunteered to participate in this double-blind controlled study. Based on the performance of the Cooper 12-min running test (CRT), the participants were allocated into two groups to receive either a probiotic formulation comprising lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium longum (n = 10) or placebo containing maltodextrin (n = 9) for five weeks. Consistency of diet and exercise was ensured throughout the experimental period. Before and after the intervention, all participants were assessed for CRT, emotional stability and gastrointestinal symptoms, gut microbiota composition, body composition and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicators of skeletal muscle microcirculation.
RESULTS
Compared to before the intervention, the probiotics group showed an increase in CRT score (2.88 ± 0.57 vs 3.01 ± 0.60 km, <0.05), significant improvement in GSRS and GIQLI (9.20 ± 4.64 vs 7.40 ± 3.24, 118.90 ± 12.30 vs 127.50 ± 9.85, <0.05), while these indicators remained unchanged in the control group, with a significant time-group interaction effect on gastrointestinal symptoms. Additionally, some MRI metabolic cycling indicators of the thigh skeletal muscle also changed in the probiotics group (<0.05). Regarding microbiota abundance, the probiotics group exhibited a significant increase in the abundance of beneficial bacteria and a significant decrease in the abundance of harmful bacteria post-intervention (<0.05).
CONCLUSION
As a sports nutritional supplement, probiotics have the potential to improve athletic performance by optimizing the balance of gut microbiota, alleviating gastrointestinal symptoms.
PubMed: 38706951
DOI: 10.1016/j.jesf.2024.04.004