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PloS One 2020Antibiotic administration can be a cause of gastrointestinal disease in horses, creating a disruption in the normal population and function of bacteria found in the...
Antibiotic administration can be a cause of gastrointestinal disease in horses, creating a disruption in the normal population and function of bacteria found in the hindgut. The objective of this study was to describe the changes in the cecal and fecal microbiomes and metabolomes of clinically healthy horses before and after metronidazole administration. Metronidazole (15 mg/kg BID PO) was given to five horses with cecal cannulas. The study was suspended on Day 3 due to adverse gastrointestinal effects. Cecal and fecal samples were obtained before (Days minus52, m28, m14, and 0) and after (Days 7, 14, 28, and 52) metronidazole administration. DNA was extracted from the cecal and fecal samples, and 16S rRNA genes were sequenced. Richness and evenness indices were significantly decreased by metronidazole administration in both cecal and fecal samples, but the overall composition was only significantly changed in fecal samples on Day 3 (ANOSIM, p = 0.008). The most dominant phyla were Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in all groups examined. In fecal samples, significant changes of the phyla Actinobacteria, Spirochaetes, Lentisphaerae, and Verrucomicrobia occurred on Day 3, which correlated with clinical signs of gastrointestinal disease. The metabolome was characterized by mass spectrometry-based methods and only named metabolites were included in the analysis. Fecal, but not cecal, metabolites were significantly affected by metronidazole. The fecal metabolites affected represent diverse metabolic pathways, such as the metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and cofactors and vitamins. Metronidazole administration has potential to cause adverse effects in horses, alters the bacterial composition of the horse's cecal and fecal content, and the metabolome of fecal samples.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Biodiversity; Cecum; Feces; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Horses; Male; Metabolome; Metronidazole; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
PubMed: 32442163
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232905 -
JSLS : Journal of the Society of... 2016The mobile cecum is an embryologic abnormality and has been associated with functional colon disease (chronic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome). However, unlike...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The mobile cecum is an embryologic abnormality and has been associated with functional colon disease (chronic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome). However, unlike functional disease, the primary treatment is operative, using laparoscopic cecopexy. We compare the epidemiology and pathophysiology of mobile cecum syndrome and functional colon disease and propose diagnostic and treatment guidelines.
METHOD
This study was a case-control series of 15 patients who underwent laparoscopic cecopexy. Age, gender, recurrent abdominal pain, and constipation based on Rome III criteria were assessed. Ileocecal-appendiceal unit displacement was graded as follows: I (cecum retroperitoneal or with little mobility); II (wide mobility, crossing the midline); and III (maximum mobility, reaching the left abdomen). Patients with Grades II and III underwent laparoscopic cecopexy. The clinical outcomes were evaluated according to modified Visick's criteria, and postoperative complications were assessed according to the Clavien-Dindo classification.
RESULTS
The mean age was 31.86 ± 12.02 years, and 13 patients (86.7%) were women. Symptoms of constipation and abdominal pain were present in 14 (93.3%) and 11 (73.3%), respectively. Computed tomography was performed in 8 (53.3%) patients. The mean operative time was 41 ± 6.66 min. There were no postoperative infections. One (7.8%) patient was classified as Clavien Dindo IIIb and all patients were classified as Visick 1 or 2.
CONCLUSION
Many patients with clinical and epidemiological features of functional colon disease in common in fact have an anatomic anomaly, for which the treatment of choice is laparoscopic cecopexy. New protocols should be developed to support this recommendation.
Topics: Adult; Cecal Diseases; Cecum; Female; Humans; Laparoscopy; Male; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 27807396
DOI: 10.4293/JSLS.2016.00076 -
Oxidative Medicine and Cellular... 2021Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a common environmental pollutant found in a variety of foods and grains, and excessive OTA consumption causes serious global health effects on...
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a common environmental pollutant found in a variety of foods and grains, and excessive OTA consumption causes serious global health effects on animals and humans. Astaxanthin (AST) is a natural carotenoid that has anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, immunomodulatory, antitumor, antidiabetes, and other biological activities. The present study is aimed at investigating the effects of AST on OTA-induced cecum injury and its mechanism of action. Eighty C57 mice were randomly divided into four groups, including the control group, OTA group (5 mg/kg body weight), AST group (100 mg/kg body weight), and AST intervention group (100 mg/kg body weight AST+5 mg/kg body weight OTA). It was found that AST decreased the endotoxin content, effectively prevented the shortening of mouse cecum villi, and increased the expression levels of tight junction (TJ) proteins, consisting of occludin, claudin-1, and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1). AST increased the number of goblet cells, the contents of mucin-2 (MUC2), and defensins (Defa5 and -pD2) significantly, while the expression of mucin-1 (MUC1) decreased significantly. The 16S rRNA sequencing showed that AST affected the richness and diversity of cecum flora, decreased the proportion of lactobacillus, and also decreased the contents of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) (acetate and butyrate). In addition, AST significantly decreased the expression of TLR4, MyD88, and p-p65, while increasing the expression of p65. Meanwhile, the expression of inflammatory factors including TNF- and INF- decreased, while the expression of IL-10 increased. In conclusion, AST reduced OTA-induced cecum injury by regulating the cecum barrier function and TLR4/MyD88/NF-B signaling pathway.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria; Calcium Channel Blockers; Cecum; Gene Expression Regulation; Inflammation; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88; NF-kappa B; Ochratoxins; Toll-Like Receptor 4; Xanthophylls
PubMed: 33505592
DOI: 10.1155/2021/8894491 -
BMC Neuroscience Dec 2021Sepsis is considered to be a high-risk factor for cognitive impairment in the brain. The purpose of our study is to explore whether sepsis causes cognitive impairment...
BACKGROUND
Sepsis is considered to be a high-risk factor for cognitive impairment in the brain. The purpose of our study is to explore whether sepsis causes cognitive impairment and try to evaluate the underlying mechanisms and intervention measures.
METHODS
Here, we used cecum ligation and puncture (CLP) to simulate sepsis. Open field, Novel Objective Recognition, and Morris Water Maze Test were used to detect cognitive function, long-term potentiation was used to assess of synaptic plasticity, and molecular biological technics were used to assess synaptic proteins, ELISA kits were used to detect inflammatory factors. Metformin was injected into the lateral ventricle of SD rats, and we evaluated whether metformin alleviated CLP-mediated cognitive impairment using behavioral, electrophysiological and molecular biological technology experiments.
RESULTS
Here we report hippocampal-dependent cognitive deficits and synaptic dysfunction induced by the CLP, accompanied by a significant increase in inflammatory factors. At the same time, metformin was able to improve cognitive impairment induced by CLP in adult male rats.
CONCLUSION
These findings highlight a novel pathogenic mechanism of sepsis-related cognitive impairment through activation of inflammatory factors, and these are blocked by metformin to attenuate sepsis-induced neuronal injury and cognitive impairment.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Cecum; Cognition; Cognition Disorders; Cognitive Dysfunction; Disease Models, Animal; Hippocampus; Ligation; Male; Metformin; Neurons; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Sepsis; Rats
PubMed: 34911449
DOI: 10.1186/s12868-021-00683-8 -
Poultry Science Jul 2020The aim of this study was to confirm whether the expression of innate immune molecules in the chick cecum is altered in association with changes in the composition of...
The aim of this study was to confirm whether the expression of innate immune molecules in the chick cecum is altered in association with changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiome that are regulated by treatment with antibiotics. Broiler chicks were administered with antibiotics (penicillin and streptomycin) daily, and the composition of the microbiota, expression of innate immune molecules, and localization of antimicrobial peptides in the chick cecum were examined at day 7 and day 14 using real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. The oral administration of antibiotics caused an increase in the relative frequency of the Enterobacteriaceae family and a decrease in some gram-negative (Barnesiellaceae) and gram-positive bacterial (Clostridiaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae) families. The gene expression levels of immune molecules, including 4 Toll-like receptors (TLR) (TLR 2, 4, 5, and 21), inflammation-related cytokines (IL-1β, TGFβ3, TGFβ4, and IL-8), and antimicrobial peptides (avian β-defensins and cathelicidins) showed a tendency to decrease with antibiotic treatment at day 7. However, expression levels of TLR21 and some cytokines (IL-1β, TGFβ3, and IL-8) were higher in the cecum or cecal tonsils of the antibiotic-treated group than in those of the control at day 14. The immunoreactive avian β-defensin 2 and cathelicidin 1 proteins were localized in the leukocyte-like cells in the lamina propria, and they were aggregated in the form of small islands. We conclude that the expression of innate immune molecules, including TLR, inflammation-related cytokines, and antimicrobial peptides, in the cecum are altered in association with changes in the density or composition of the luminal microbiota during the early phase of life in chicks.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Avian Proteins; Cecum; Chickens; Cytokines; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gene Expression; Male; Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins
PubMed: 32616232
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.03.016 -
CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association... May 2013
Topics: Aged; Cecum; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Intestinal Volvulus; Radiography
PubMed: 23027907
DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.120651 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2021Studying the pathophysiology of sepsis still requires animal models, and the mouse remains the most commonly used species. Here we discuss the "cecal slurry" (CS) model...
Studying the pathophysiology of sepsis still requires animal models, and the mouse remains the most commonly used species. Here we discuss the "cecal slurry" (CS) model of polymicrobial, peritoneal sepsis and compare and contrast it to other commonly used methods. Among the different murine models of sepsis, cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), and not the CS, is often considered the "gold standard" to induce polymicrobial sepsis in laboratory animals. CLP is a well-described model involving a simple surgical procedure that closely mimics the clinical course of intra-abdominal sepsis. However, CLP may not be an option for experiments involving newborn pups, where the cecum is indistinguishable from small bowel, where differences in microbiome content may affect the experiment, or where surgical procedures/anesthesia exposure needs to be limited. An important alternative method is the CS model, involving the intraperitoneal injection of cecal contents from a donor animal into the peritoneal cavity of a recipient animal to induce polymicrobial sepsis. Furthermore, CS is an effective alternative model of intraperitoneal polymicrobial sepsis in adult mice and can now be considered the "gold standard" for experiments in neonatal mice.
Topics: Abdomen; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Cecum; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Ligation; Mice; Peritonitis; Punctures; Sepsis
PubMed: 34048005
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1488-4_4 -
BioMed Research International 2020Diets containing different crude protein levels (16%, 14%, and 12%) were created to feed Bamei pigs in order to study the effect of these compositions on intestinal...
Diets containing different crude protein levels (16%, 14%, and 12%) were created to feed Bamei pigs in order to study the effect of these compositions on intestinal colonies. Therefore, 27 healthy Bamei pigs of similar weight (20.99 kg ± 0.16 kg) were selected and randomly divided into three groups for microbial diversity analysis. The results of this study show that microbial diversities and abundances in Bamei pig jejunum and caecum samples after feeding with different dietary protein levels were significantly different. Dietary crude protein level exerted no significant effect on the Shannon index for cecum microbes in these pigs, while Simpson, ACE, and Chao1 indices for group I were all significantly higher than those of either the control group or group II ( < 0.05). Indeed, data show that microbial diversities and abundances in the 14% protein level group were higher than those in either the 16% or 12% groups. Dominant bacteria present in jejunum and cecum samples given low-protein diets were members of the phyla and . Data show that as dietary crude protein level decreases, representatives of the microbial flora genus in jejunum and cecum samples gradually increases. Values for the KEGG functional prediction of microbial flora at different dietary protein levels also show that genes of jejunum and cecum microorganisms were mainly enriched in the "metabolism" pathway and indicate that low protein diets increase intestinal metabolic activity. Therefore, we recommend that Bamei pig dietary protein levels are reduced 2% from their existing level of 16% crude protein. We also suggest that essential synthetic amino acids (AA) are added to optimize this ideal protein model as this will increase intestinal flora diversity in these pigs and enhance health. These changes will have a positive effect in promoting the healthy growth of Bamei pigs.
Topics: Animals; Biodiversity; Cecum; Databases, Genetic; Dietary Proteins; Intestines; Jejunum; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Swine
PubMed: 33294435
DOI: 10.1155/2020/2610431 -
PloS One 2019Rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta) are gallinaceous birds inhabiting arctic and sub-arctic environments. Their diet varies by season, including plants or plant parts of high...
Rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta) are gallinaceous birds inhabiting arctic and sub-arctic environments. Their diet varies by season, including plants or plant parts of high nutritional value, but also toxic plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). Little is known about the microbes driving organic matter decomposition in the cecum of ptarmigans, especially the last steps leading to methanogenesis. The cecum microbiome in wild rock ptarmigans from Arctic Norway was characterized to unveil their functional potential for PSM detoxification, methanogenesis and polysaccharides degradation. Cecal samples were collected from wild ptarmigans from Svalbard (L. m. hyperborea) and northern Norway (L. m. muta) during autumn/winter (Sept-Dec). Samples from captive Svalbard ptarmigans fed commercial pelleted feed were included to investigate the effect of diet on microbial composition and function. Abundances of methanogens and bacteria were determined by qRT-PCR, while microbial community composition and functional potential were studied using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomics. Abundances of bacteria and methanogenic Archaea were higher in wild ptarmigans compared to captive birds. The ceca of wild ptarmigans housed bacterial groups involved in PSM-degradation, and genes mediating the conversion of phenol compounds to pyruvate. Methanomassiliicoccaceae was the major archaeal family in wild ptarmigans, carrying the genes for methanogenesis from methanol. It might be related to increased methanol production from pectin degradation in wild birds due to a diet consisting of primarily fresh pectin-rich plants. Both wild and captive ptarmigans possessed a broad suite of genes for the depolymerization of hemicellulose and non-cellulosic polysaccharides (e.g. starch). In conclusion, there were no physiological and phenotypical dissimilarities in the microbiota found in the cecum of wild ptarmigans on mainland Norway and Svalbard. While substantial differences in the functional potential for PSM degradation and methanogenesis in wild and captive birds seem to be a direct consequence of their dissimilar diets.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Wild; Archaea; Arctic Regions; Bacteria; Cecum; Galliformes; Metagenome; Methane; Microbiota; Norway; Svalbard
PubMed: 30856229
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213503 -
Poultry Science Jan 2021This study was designed to evaluate the effects of γ-irradiated Astragalus polysaccharides (IAPS) on growth performance, cecal microbiota populations, and...
This study was designed to evaluate the effects of γ-irradiated Astragalus polysaccharides (IAPS) on growth performance, cecal microbiota populations, and concentrations of cecal short-chain fatty acids of immunosuppressed broilers. A total of 144 one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned into 3 groups: nontreated group (control), cyclophosphamide (CPM)-treated groups fed either a basal diet or the diets containing 900 mg/kg IAPS, respectively. On day 16, 18, and 20, broilers in the control group were intramuscularly injected with 0.5 mL sterilized saline (0.75%, wt/vol), and those in the CPM and IAPS groups were intramuscularly injected with 0.5 mL CPM (40 mg/kg of BW). The trial lasted 21 d. Compared with the control group, CPM treatment decreased the broiler average daily gain (ADG) and feed intake (P < 0.05) but did not affect the overall microbial diversity and compositions, as well as the concentrations of cecal acetate, propionate, and butyrate in cecum of broilers (P > 0.05). Dietary IAPS supplementation increased broiler ADG, Shannon index, and decreased Simpson index (P < 0.05). Specifically, broilers fed diets containing IAPS showed lower abundances of Faecalibacterium, Bacteroides, and Butyricicoccus and higher proportions of Ruminococcaceae UCG-014, Negativibacillus, Shuttleworthia, Sellimonas, and Mollicutes RF39_norank, respectively (P < 0.05). The IAPS treatment also increased butyrate concentration (P < 0.05) and tended to elevate acetate concentration (P = 0.052) in cecal digesta. The results indicated that IAPS are effective in increasing the cecal beneficial bacteria and short-chain fatty acids production, contributing to improvement in the growth performance of immunosuppressive broilers. These findings may expand our knowledge about the function of modified Astragalus polysaccharides in broiler chickens.
Topics: Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Animals; Astragalus Plant; Cecum; Chickens; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Microbiota; Plant Extracts; Polysaccharides; Random Allocation
PubMed: 33357691
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.09.089