The art of targeting gut microbiota for tackling human obesity

Recently, a great deal of interest has been expressed regarding strategies to tackle worldwide obesity because of its accelerated wide spread accompanied with numerous negative effects on health and high costs. Obesity has been traditionally associated with an imbalance in energy consumed when compared to energy expenditure. However, growing evidence suggests a less simplistic event in which gut microbiota plays a key role. Obesity, in terms of microbiota, is a complicated disequilibrium that presents many unclear complications. Despite this, there is special interest in characterizing compositionally and functionally the obese gut microbiota with the help of in vitro, animal and human studies. Considering the gut microbiota as a factor contributing to human obesity represents a tool of great therapeutic potential. This paper reviews the use of antimicrobials, probiotics, fecal microbial therapy, prebiotics and diet to manipulate obesity through the human gut microbiota and reveals inconsistencies and implications for future study.     

Health benefits of marine foods and ingredients

The health benefits of seafood consumption have primarily been associated with protective effects against cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, intake of seafood has also been associated with improved foetal and infant development, as well as several other diseases and medical conditions. The health promoting effects have chiefly been attributed to the long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In addition, the general fatty acid profile is considered favourable. On the other hand, recent and emerging research on seafood proteins and other seafood derived components suggest that these nutritional components contribute to the health effects. In this paper we review the nutritional characteristics and health benefits of marine foods and ingredients, and discuss some current and future trends in marine food production.     

Effect of gut bacterial isolates from Apis mellifera jemenitica on Paenibacillus larvae infected bee larvae

The probiotic effects of seven newly isolated gut bacteria, from the indegenous honey bees of Saudi Arabia were investigated. In vivo bioassays were used to investigate the effects of each gut bacterium namely, Fructobacillus fructosus (T1), Proteus mirabilis (T2), Bacillus licheniformis (T3), Lactobacillus kunkeei (T4), Bacillus subtilis (T5), Enterobacter kobei (T6), and Morganella morganii (T7) on mortality percentage of honey bee larvae infected with P. larvae spores along with negative control (normal diet) and positive control (normal diet spiked with P. larvae spores). Addition of gut bacteria to the normal diet significantly reduced the mortality percentage of the treated groups. Mortality percentage in all treated groups ranged from 56.67% up to 86.67%. T6 treated group exhibited the highest mortality (86.67%), whereas T4 group showed the lowest mortality (56.67%). Among the seven gut bacterial treatments, T4 and T3 decreased the mortality 56.67% and 66.67%, respectively, whereas, for T2, T6, and T7 the mortality percentage was equal to that of the positive control (86.67%). Mortality percentages in infected larval groups treated with T1, and T5 were 78.33% and 73.33% respectively. Most of the mortality occurred in the treated larvae during days 2 and 3. Treatments T3 and T4 treatments showed positive effects and reduced mortality.     

Modulation of the microbial ecology of the human colon by probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics to enhance human health: an overview of enabling science and potential applications

The application of probiotics and prebiotics to the manipulation of the microbial ecology of the human colon has recently seen many scientific advances. The sequencing of probiotic genomes is providing a wealth of new information on the biology of these microorganisms. In addition, we are learning more about the interactions of probiotics with human cells and with pathogenic bacteria. An alternative means of modulating the colonic microbial community is by the use of prebiotic oligosaccharides. Increasing knowledge of the metabolism of prebiotics by probiotics is allowing us to consider specifically targeting such dietary intervention tools at specific population groups and specific disease states.     

微生物分析方法测定保健食品中维生素B6的含量

称取保健强化食品样品,以0.22 mol/L H2SO4、121 ℃高压蒸汽锅水解、吸取合适浓度的检测样品到吡哆醇Y培养基中,接种卡尔斯伯(Saccharomyces Carlsberyensis)酵母菌,于(30±0.5) ℃恒温箱中培养18～22 h,用分光光度计在550 nm波长下测定酵母菌的生长,对应标准生长曲线求得样品中维生素B6(VB6)的含量,同时以同样的方法检测加标回收量.实验结果表明,该方法准确、回收率高、重复性好,便于实验室开展.     

Functional profiling of the gut microbiomes in two different populations of the brown planthopper,Nilaparvata lugens

Previous studies have demonstrated that gut symbionts are involved in the detoxification metabolism of insect hosts, but the relationship between gut symbionts and host detoxification metabolism of the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens, BPH) remains unclear. In the present study, an indoor population (NlIP) and a field population (NlFP) of the BPH were used to characterize the functional profiling of the gut microbiome based on 16S rDNA sequencing. The results show that the NlIP and NlFP strains of N. lugens had different symbiont compositions, and Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes were the dominate phyla, accounting for >75% of the total symbiont compositions. Additionally, the NlIP strain had more Pantoea and Stenotrophomonas, while the NlFP strain showed a higher Wolbachia, Actinobacteria, and Herbaspirillum relative abundance. Furthermore, functional content of the metagenome predicted by PICRUSt demonstrated no significant difference in metagenomic function between the NlIP and NlFP strains in the principal component analysis (PCA), and only three types of genes, namely, genes involved with metabolic diseases, poorly characterized genes, and genes involved in circulatory systems, were different between the strains based on KEGG pathway analysis, which also speculated that gut symbionts are not directly involved in the detoxification metabolism for insecticides in the BPH. These results will be helpful for further research into the mechanisms of gut symbionts involved in detoxification metabolism in the BPH.     

Recombinant human lactoferrin: A valuable protein for pharmaceutical products and functional foods

Lactoferrin, the main iron-binding protein of milk, has biological activities that are essential for the newborn and are beneficial for adults. Given this beneficial effect, there is broad interest in exogenous sources of lactoferrin in human nutrition. Consequently, several transgenic approaches to produce lactoferrin have been achieved. However, the activity of heterologous lactoferrin cannot be assumed to identically mimic that of the homologous protein. Human lactoferrin obtained from yeast, transgenic cows, and rice has met the criteria of structural similarity, high yield, and ease of protein isolation. Human lactoferrin from Aspergillus awamori has been mainly directed to therapeutic uses with advanced phases of clinical trials currently in progress. In contrast, human lactoferrin produced in transgenic cows and rice brings the clear advantage of origins compatible with use in foods, although the approval for these applications is still in process.     

运用微生物法测定保健食品中的维生素B6

介绍运用微生物法测定保健食品中维生素B6的含量。GB／T5009．154—2003将微生物法规定为测定食品中维生素B6的国家标准方法Ⅲ。其原理为卡尔斯伯酵母菌需在有维生素B6存在的条件下才能生长,在一定条件下维生素B6的量与其生长量成正比关系。用分光光度仪在550nm波长下测定该菌的生长．与标准曲线相比较,从而得出该样品中维生素B6的含量。通过对国标方法作较详细的注解,并对有些地方作适当的修改,以期对需要开展此项工作的实验室及其人员会有较大的帮助。     

Contribution of gut bacteria to digestion and development of the velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis

Bacteria colonies from gut homogenates of fifth instar velvetbean caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were subjected to antibiotic sensitivity experiments using discs containing 22 antibiotics. The antibiotic tetracycline provided the best results, followed by chloramphenicol. Tetracycline also provided higher inhibition of colony forming units than chloramphenicol and was therefore provided to the caterpillars in increasing diet concentrations to assess the contribution of gut bacteria to their digestion and development. The activity of proteases (general), serine-proteinases and lipases were significantly suppressed by tetracycline. Concentration-inhibition curves were successfully established for tetracycline and this antibiotic was effective in suppressing them, particularly serine-proteinases, suggesting that gut bacteria may significantly contribute with lipid- and mainly protein-digestion in velvetbean caterpillars. Increased diet concentrations of tetracycline led only to mild increase in insect mortality (ca. 20%), with the surviving insects showing faster development (≤4 days) and higher pupa weight (<0.04 mg) with increased concentrations of tetracycline. Therefore, the gut bacteria inhibited by tetracycline does not seem to play a crucial role in the survival and development of the velvetbean caterpillar, but may be important in the adaptation of this pest species to hosts rich in protease inhibitors, such as soybean.     

A quantitative study of the morphological development and bacterial colonisation of the gut of the tammar wallaby Macropus eugenii eugenii and brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula during in-pouch development

We compared the rates of change of various morphological parameters of the stomach, small intestine, caecum and colon of tammar wallabies and brushtail possums with body mass during in-pouch development. These were correlated with changes in the numbers of bacterial species in the various gut segments. In the pouch-young of both species, the wet tissue masses of all gut segments increased with body mass in a positively allometric manner (i.e. with a body mass exponent > 1), suggesting that the mass of each component was disproportionately low at birth, but increased disproportionately rapidly postnatally. However, the lengths of the wallaby stomach and small intestine scaled isometrically with respect to body mass (i.e. with a body mass exponent around 0.33), which may indicate that the shape of these components changes to the adult form during early neonatal development. Conversely, the length of the caecum and colon of both wallabies and possums scaled in a positively allometric manner with respect to body mass, showing area to volume compensation. This may indicate a more general pattern of disproportionately rapid postnatal enlargement in areas that are distal to the principal sites of neonatal digestion (i.e. the stomach). The numbers of bacterial species present in the various gastrointestinal segments of both species were low in animals aged 100 days or less but there was a significant increase in microbial diversity in the caecum of brushtail possums aged over 100 days. The possum caecum also showed the greatest rate of increase in wet tissue mass relative to body mass. It is postulated that caecal development may act as a nidus for establishment of communities of commensal microflora in the developing marsupial.     

Maturation of the intestinal digestion and of microbial activity in the young rabbit: impact of the dietary fibre:starch ratio

The developmental changes of intestinal digestive potential and caecal microbial activity were described in suckling and weaned rabbits according to two feeding programmes. Two groups of thirteen litters were fed from 18 to 42 days old a “High” or a “Medium” NDF:starch ratio diet (resp. 2.7 vs 2.0, groups HL and ML) with similar protein and lipid levels, and from 42 to 70 days old the two groups were fed a “Low” NDF:starch ratio diet (1.7). From 25 to 32 days (weaning), the milk and solid feed intake were 22% and 41% higher in ML group (P < 0.05), and the mortality by diarrhoea was 4 units lower (P < 0.01). The whole tract digestive efficiency increased by 10% before weaning, and remained steady (organic matter) or decreased (lipids, protein) after weaning. Energy digestibility was 0.623 and 0.686 for High and Medium diets respectively. From 25 to 42 days, total enzymatic activity in intestinal content increased for chymotrypsin (5-fold, P < 0.001), lipase (10-fold, P < 0.001), amylase (17-fold, P < 0.01) and maltase (11-fold, P < 0.001), while trypsin doubled after weaning. The feeding programme only affected the amylase and maltase activities, that were higher in HL group (P < 0.05). The volatile fatty acids concentration in the caecum was not significantly different among the groups, but it increased by 44% 10 days after weaning. The bacterial fibrolytic enzymes, increased by 30% after weaning and were similar among the two groups. The study revealed that the intestinal digestive maturation and the caecal microbial activity of the rabbit evolved markedly between 3 and 5 weeks of age, and was weakly affected when the NDF:starch ratio decreased from 2.7 to 2.0.     

Transient adult microbiota,gut homeostasis and longevity: Novel insights from the Drosophila model

In the last decade, Drosophila has emerged as a useful model to study host–microbiota interactions, creating an active research field with prolific publications. In the last 2 years, several studies contributed to a better understanding of the dynamic nature of microbiota composition and its impact on gut immunity and intestinal tissue homeostasis. These studies depicted the mechanisms by which microbiota regulates gut homeostasis to modulate host fitness and lifespan. Moreover, the latest findings demonstrating that the gut is a physiologically and histologically compartmentalized organ brought fresh perspectives to study the region-specific nature of the interactions between the commensal microbes and the intestinal tissue, and consequences of these interactions on overall host biology.     

Early life microbial colonization of the gut and intestinal development differ between genetically divergent broiler lines

Background

Host genetic makeup plays a role in early gut microbial colonization and immune programming. Interactions between gut microbiota and host cells of the mucosal layer are of paramount importance for a proper development of host defence mechanisms. For different livestock species, it has already been shown that particular genotypes have increased susceptibilities towards disease causing pathogens.The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of genotypic variation on both early microbial colonization of the gut and functional development of intestinal tissue. From two genetically diverse chicken lines intestinal content samples were taken for microbiota analyses and intestinal tissue samples were extracted for gene expression analyses, both at three subsequent time-points (days 0, 4, and 16).

Results

The microbiota composition was significantly different between lines on each time point. In contrast, no significant differences were observed regarding changes in the microbiota diversity between the two lines throughout this study. We also observed trends in the microbiota data at genus level when comparing lines X and Y. We observed that approximately 2000 genes showed different temporal gene expression patterns when comparing line X to line Y. Immunological related differences seem to be only present at day 0, because at day 4 and 16 similar gene expression is observed for these two lines. However, for genes involved in cell cycle related processes the data show higher expression over the whole course of time in line Y in comparison to line X.

Conclusions

These data suggest the genetic background influences colonization of gut microbiota after hatch in combination with the functional development of intestinal mucosal tissue, including the programming of the immune system. The results indicate that genetically different chicken lines have different coping mechanisms in early life to cope with the outside world.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1646-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Fluorescent histochemistry of the teleost gut: Evidence for the presence of serotonergic neurones

Summary The guts of the teleosts Myoxocephalus scorpius, Pleuronectes platessa and Clupea harengus were examined using fluorescent histochemistry and the innervation compared to that in mammals and other lower vertebrates. In Myoxocephalus and Pleuronectes both green and yellow fast fading fluorescent nerves were found in the intestine. To test whether the yellow nerves might be serotonergic, an attempt was made to extract 5-HT from the intestine of these fish in a region where enterochromaffin cells were absent. Chromatography of extracts showed the presence of 5-HT, and, in Myoxocephalus, dopamine.     

The challenges facing scientists in the development of foods in Europe using biotechnology

The public's major concern over the introduction of genetic engineering into the food chain focuses on potential health risks. Proving that a food is safe is an impossible goal since there will always be a risk associated with eating food. Diets that are natural in every sense of the word pose risks but the general public believe that they are inherently less risky. The differences in risk between foods that are natural, as opposed to foods that are produced by the application of technology, are likely to be minute. Nor does it follow that they all lie in favour of `natural' food. The fact is that all foods pose a balance of risks and benefits but the scientific method has so far not been applied to its measurement. Only risk is emphasised and estimated, albeit with many conservative assumptions, often resulting in an emphasis on minute risk. Conventional plant products are not subject to the rigorous risk evaluations that apply to genetically modified plants. So the outcome is that the public only receive part of the information and this is the emphasis on risk of the `artificial' food. The only future for foods produced by biotechnology in Europe is if the public are persuaded of the real health benefits that will result from its application. Given the present state of nutritional knowledge, and the limited resources that are given to it, there are only a few clear examples of where nutritional improvement of plant food would bring really significant benefits. The paper highlights these with examples and indicates where further nutritional research will be required before other targets for improvement can be realised.     

Nucleic acid sequence based amplification for the rapid and sensitive detection of Salmonella enterica from foods

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to apply nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) for the detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) in representative foods. METHODS AND RESULTS: A previously reported primer and probe set based on mRNA sequences of the dnaK gene of Salmonella were used in this study. To test for possible food matrix inhibition and assay detection limits, 25-g samples of representative food commodities (fresh meats, poultry, fish, ready-to-eat salads and bakery products) were pre-enriched with and without S. Enteritidis inoculation. The NucliSens(R) Basic Kit, supplemented with enzymes from various other commercial sources, was used for RNA isolation, NASBA amplification and electrochemiluminescent (ECL) detection. The end point detection limit of the NASBA-ECL assay was equivalent to 101 CFU of S. Enteritidis per amplification reaction. When the assay was tested on noncontaminated foods, none of the food matrices produced false-positive results. Some of the food matrices inhibited the NASBA-ECL reaction unless the associated RNA was diluted 10-fold prior to amplification. CONCLUSIONS: For all food items tested, positive ECL signals were achieved after 18 h of pre-enrichment and subsequent NASBA at initial inoculum levels of 102 and 101 CFU per 25 g food sample. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This rapid, semi-automated detection method has potential for use in the food, agricultural and public health sectors.     

Isolation of facultatively aerobic actinomycetes from the gut, parent soil and mound materials of the termites Procubitermesaburiensis and Cubitermes severus

Abstract Isolates of the genus Streptomyces were readily obtained from the intestines of two African species of soil-feeding termites by an aerobic explant technique using starch casein medium, and from their parent soil and mound materials by dilution plating. Discriminant analysis of the isolates, based on 44 representative characters, showed that the population derived directly from the termites was significantly different from that of the feed soil or the mound. The termite gut was considered to be a good source of unusual actinomycetes, but strains isolated under aerobic conditions are likely to be allochthons selected by the intestinal environment, which is highly alkaline and anaerobic. An anaerobic, filamentous isolate was obtained which may be a component of the prokaryotic symbiont population mediating termite digestion.