Xingnaojing injection can regulate dysbacteriosis and increase the concentration of short chain fatty acids in the feces after stroke in mice

AbstractBackgroundXingnaojing injection (XNJ) is extracted from the Chinese ancient prescription “An-Gong-Niu-Huang Pill”, is widely used for stroke in China. We mainly observe the effect of XNJ (Xingnaojing) injection on the gut microbiota in stroke model mice.MethodsForty-two 7-to 8-week-old male C57 mice weighing 22-24 g were chosen for the experiment. There were 6 mice in each group; the 7 groups were the normal group (NG), the MCAO group (CG), the MCAO+XNJ group (EG), the sham surgery group (SG), the sham germ-free normal group (SGFNG), the sham germ-free+MCAO group (SGFCG), and the sham germ-free+MCAO+XNJ group (SGFEG). Two days before modeling, we abdominally administered Xingnaojing (6 mg/kg) the SGFEG and EG groups. The processing time of sustained XNJ was 5 days. Three days after modeling, 1 ~ 2 mouse feces were collected, and after a MiSeq PE library was constructed, an Illumina MiSeq PE 300 platform was used for high-throughput sequencing. After cleaning the sequencing data, the microbiome and microbiomeseq packages were used for analysis using R software (version 3.6.2).ResultsAlpha diversity analysis revealed that the diversity was not different between the CG and EG. The Simpson index was different between the SGFCG and SGFEG. XNJ increased the levels of Sutterellaceae and decreased the level of Deferribacteres and Morganella. LEfSe analysis showed that SGFCG mice were also enriched with Morganella. XNJ increased the concentrations of the SCFAs PA (propionate), VA (valerate), IBA (isobutyrate), and IVA (isovalerate) in the feces of the SGFEG group. BA (butyrate) had greater positive correlation with gut bacteria than other acids in the SGFCG, and XNJ changed this trend. KEGG analysis showed that peptidoglycan biosynthesis was most different between the CG and EG.ConclusionIschemic stroke (IS) causes dysbiosis of some specific bacteria in the gut microbiota in MCAO mice. Xingnaojing ameliorated this condition by increasing the levels of Sutterellaceae and decreasing the level of Deferribacteres and Morganella. These results are in accordance with other research on Chinese medicines for IS that affect the gut microbiota. Enrichment analysis of SCFAs revealed that XNJ improved the levels of SCFAs through an energy metabolism-related pathway.

Download Full-text

Experimental infection with the hookworm, Necator americanus, promotes gut microbial diversity in human volunteers with relapsing multiple sclerosis

10.21203/rs.2.24428/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Timothy Jenkins ◽

David Pritchard ◽

Radu Tanasescu ◽

Gary Telford ◽

Marina Paraiakovou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Experimental Infection ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Placebo Treatment ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Necator Americanus ◽

Human Volunteers

Abstract Background Helminth-associated changes in gut microbiota composition have been hypothesised to contribute to the immune-suppressive properties of parasitic worms. Multiple sclerosis is an immune-mediated autoimmune disease of the central nervous system whose pathophysiology has been recently linked to alterations of gut microbial communities. Results In the present study we investigated, for the first time, qualitative and quantitative changes in gut microbial composition of human volunteers with remitting multiple sclerosis (RMS) prior to and following experimental infection with the human hookworm, Necator americanus ( N+ ), and following anthelmintic treatment, and compared the findings with data obtained from a cohort of RMS patients subjected to placebo treatment ( PBO ). Bacterial 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing data revealed significantly decreased microbial alpha diversity in the gut microbiota of PBO compared to N+ subjects over the course of the trial; additionally, we observed significant differences in the abundances of several bacterial taxa with putative immune-modulatory functions between study cohorts. Parabacteroides were significantly expanded in the gut microbiota of N + individuals for which no relapses were recorded at the end of the trial. Conclusions Overall, these data lend support to the hypothesis of a contributory role of parasite-associated alterations in gut microbial composition to the immunomodulatory properties of hookworm parasites.

Download Full-text

The Influence of Diet and Sex on the Gut Microbiota of Lean and Obese JCR:LA-cp Rats

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9051037 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 1037

Author(s):

Craig Resch ◽

Mihir Parikh ◽

J. Alejandro Austria ◽

Spencer D. Proctor ◽

Thomas Netticadan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Control Diet ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽

Female Rats ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Male And Female ◽

Ground Flaxseed ◽

The Impact

There is an increased interest in the gut microbiota as it relates to health and obesity. The impact of diet and sex on the gut microbiota in conjunction with obesity also demands extensive systemic investigation. Thus, the influence of sex, diet, and flaxseed supplementation on the gut microbiota was examined in the JCR:LA-cp rat model of genetic obesity. Male and female obese rats were randomized into four groups (n = 8) to receive, for 12 weeks, either (a) control diet (Con), (b) control diet supplemented with 10% ground flaxseed (CFlax), (c) a high-fat, high sucrose (HFHS) diet, or (d) HFHS supplemented with 10% ground flaxseed (HFlax). Male and female JCR:LA-cp lean rats served as genetic controls and received similar dietary interventions. Illumine MiSeq sequencing revealed a richer microbiota in rats fed control diets rather than HFHS diets. Obese female rats had lower alpha-diversity than lean female; however, both sexes of obese and lean JCR rats differed significantly in β-diversity, as their gut microbiota was composed of different abundances of bacterial types. The feeding of an HFHS diet affected the diversity by increasing the phylum Bacteroidetes and reducing bacterial species from phylum Firmicutes. Fecal short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate-producing bacterial species were correspondingly impacted by the HFHS diet. Flax supplementation improved the gut microbiota by decreasing the abundance of Blautia and Eubacterium dolichum. Collectively, our data show that an HFHS diet results in gut microbiota dysbiosis in a sex-dependent manner. Flaxseed supplementation to the diet had a significant impact on gut microbiota diversity under both flax control and HFHS dietary conditions.

Download Full-text

Experimental infection with the hookworm, Necator americanus, is associated with stable gut microbial diversity in human volunteers with relapsing multiple sclerosis

BMC Biology ◽

10.1186/s12915-021-01003-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Timothy P. Jenkins ◽

David I. Pritchard ◽

Radu Tanasescu ◽

Gary Telford ◽

Marina Papaiakovou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Experimental Infection ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Placebo Treatment ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Faecal Microbiota ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Necator Americanus ◽

Human Volunteers

Abstract Background Helminth-associated changes in gut microbiota composition have been hypothesised to contribute to the immune-suppressive properties of parasitic worms. Multiple sclerosis is an immune-mediated autoimmune disease of the central nervous system whose pathophysiology has been linked to imbalances in gut microbial communities. Results In the present study, we investigated, for the first time, qualitative and quantitative changes in the faecal bacterial composition of human volunteers with remitting multiple sclerosis (RMS) prior to and following experimental infection with the human hookworm, Necator americanus (N+), and following anthelmintic treatment, and compared the findings with data obtained from a cohort of RMS patients subjected to placebo treatment (PBO). Bacterial 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing data revealed significantly decreased alpha diversity in the faecal microbiota of PBO compared to N+ subjects over the course of the trial; additionally, we observed significant differences in the abundances of several bacterial taxa with putative immune-modulatory functions between study cohorts. Parabacteroides were significantly expanded in the faecal microbiota of N+ individuals for which no clinical and/or radiological relapses were recorded at the end of the trial. Conclusions Overall, our data lend support to the hypothesis of a contributory role of parasite-associated alterations in gut microbial composition to the immune-modulatory properties of hookworm parasites.

Download Full-text

The Impact of Sampling Season and Catching Site (Wild and Aquaculture) on Gut Microbiota Composition and Diversity of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Biology ◽

10.3390/biology10030180 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 180

Author(s):

Negash Kabtimer Bereded ◽

Getachew Beneberu Abebe ◽

Solomon Workneh Fanta ◽

Manuel Curto ◽

Herwig Waidbacher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Nile Tilapia ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Environmental Parameters ◽

Illumina Miseq ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Lake Tana ◽

Future Work ◽

The Impact ◽

Sampling Season

The gut microbiota of fishes is known to play an essential role in diverse aspects of host biology. The gut microbiota of fish is affected by various environmental parameters, including temperature changes, salinity and diet. Studies of effect of environment on gut microbiota enables to have a further understanding of what comprises a healthy microbiota under different environmental conditions. However, there is insufficient understanding regarding the effects of sampling season and catching site (wild and aquaculture) on the gut microbiota of Nile tilapia. This study characterised gut microbial composition and diversity from samples collected from Lake Tana and the Bahir Dar aquaculture facility centre using 16S rDNA Illumina MiSeq platform sequencing. Firmicutes and Fusobacteria were the most dominant phyla in the Lake Tana samples, while Proteobacteria was the most dominant in the aquaculture samples. The results of differential abundance testing clearly indicated significant differences for Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria across sampling months. However, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Fusobacteria and Cyanobacteria were significantly enriched in the comparison of samples from the Lake Tana and aquaculture centre. Significant differences were observed in microbial diversity across sampling months and between wild and captive Nile tilapia. The alpha diversity clearly showed that samples from the aquaculture centre (captive) had a higher diversity than the wild Nile tilapia samples from Lake Tana. The core gut microbiota of all samples of Nile tilapia used in our study comprised Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria. This study clearly showed the impact of sampling season and catching site (wild and aquaculture) on the diversity and composition of bacterial communities associated with the gut of Nile tilapia. Overall, this is the first study on the effects of sampling season and catching site on the gut microbiota of Nile tilapia in Ethiopia. Future work is recommended to precisely explain the causes of these changes using large representative samples of Nile tilapia from different lakes and aquaculture farms.

Download Full-text

The Studies to correlation between gut microbiota diversity and functional erectile dysfunction

10.21203/rs.3.rs-454949/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Qiang Geng ◽

Shaofeng Chen ◽

Yuan Sun ◽

Yu Zhao ◽

Zhong Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Erectile Dysfunction ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

T Test ◽

Data Quality Control ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Miseq Platform ◽

Group 3 ◽

Microbiota Diversity

Abstract Objective: To analyze the distribution of gut microbiota in the ED patients, and explore the relationship between the diversity of gut microbiota and psychogenic erectile dysfunction. Methods: 30 cases of patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) and 30 healthy persons (healthy donor, HD) stool specimen were collected, using Illumina's Miseq platform samples V3-V4 region sequences bacterial 16SrRNA gene Paired end (PE) 300 sequencing, sequencing results were analyzed differences in species composition and diversity. Analysis contains five modules: sequencing data quality control, OTU species clustering and annotation, alpha diversity, beta diversity and the use of T-test and the analysis of the LEfSe differences. Results: 1. The flora diversity in the group of ED than HD significantly different (P<0.01), ED group has a low bacterial diversity. 2. Between ED group and HD group, abundant bacteria (TOPlO) and core flora (90%) had no significant difference in the genus level; all bacteria flora (>1%) display, Alloprevotella groups genus presents differences, Alloprevotella only be identified in the HD group. 3. ED and HD groups present in well separated PCoA analysis, having a significant difference in the two kinds of microflora. 4.T-test shows six species were significantly different, in the ED group, Streptococcus and Subdoligranulum were increasing, and Prevotella, Prevotella sp.9, Blautia, Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 groups and Roseburia were decreasing. 5.LEfSe analysis revealed 24 species were significantly different between ED and HD groups. Conclusion: Gene sequencing was performed on the two groups of specimens and finding that microbial community structure and diversity had significant difference, suggesting that ED have low gut microbiota diversity.

Download Full-text

Probiotic Supplementation in a Clostridium difficile-Infected Gastrointestinal Model Is Associated with Restoring Metabolic Function of Microbiota

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms8010060 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 60

Author(s):

Mohd Baasir Gaisawat ◽

Chad W. MacPherson ◽

Julien Tremblay ◽

Amanda Piano ◽

Michèle M. Iskandar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Gastrointestinal Disorder ◽

Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Metabolic Function ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Single Strain ◽

Fecal Samples ◽

Metabolic Functions

Clostridium (C.) difficile-infection (CDI), a nosocomial gastrointestinal disorder, is of growing concern due to its rapid rise in recent years. Antibiotic therapy of CDI is associated with disrupted metabolic function and altered gut microbiota. The use of probiotics as an adjunct is being studied extensively due to their potential to modulate metabolic functions and the gut microbiota. In the present study, we assessed the ability of several single strain probiotics and a probiotic mixture to change the metabolic functions of normal and C. difficile-infected fecal samples. The production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and ammonia was measured, and changes in microbial composition were assessed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The C. difficile-infection in fecal samples resulted in a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in SCFA and H2S production, with a lower microbial alpha diversity. All probiotic treatments were associated with significantly increased (p < 0.05) levels of SCFAs and restored H2S levels. Probiotics showed no effect on microbial composition of either normal or C. difficile-infected fecal samples. These findings indicate that probiotics may be useful to improve the metabolic dysregulation associated with C. difficile infection.

Download Full-text

Assessing the Effects of Ginger Extract on Polyphenol Profiles and the Subsequent Impact on the Fecal Microbiota by Simulating Digestion and Fermentation In Vitro

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12103194 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 3194

Author(s):

Jing Wang ◽

Yong Chen ◽

Xiaosong Hu ◽

Fengqin Feng ◽

Luyun Cai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Ph Value ◽

Illumina Miseq ◽

Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Gut Health ◽

Ginger Extract ◽

Mixed Culture Fermentation

The beneficial effects of ginger polyphenols have been extensively reported. However, their metabolic characteristics and health effects on gut microbiota are poor understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the digestion stability of ginger polyphenols and their prebiotic effects on gut microbiota by simulating digestion and fermentation in vitro. Following simulated digestion in vitro, 85% of the polyphenols were still detectable, and the main polyphenol constituents identified in ginger extract are 6-, 8-, and 10-gingerols and 6-shogaol in the digestive fluids. After batch fermentation, the changes in microbial populations were measured by 16S rRNA gene Illumina MiSeq sequencing. In mixed-culture fermentation with fecal inoculate, digested ginger extract (GE) significantly modulated the fecal microbiota structure and promoted the growth of some beneficial bacterial populations, such as Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus. Furthermore, incubation with GE could elevate the levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) accompanied by a decrease in the pH value. Additionally, the quantitative PCR results showed that 6-gingerol (6G), as the main polyphenol in GE, increased the abundance of Bifidobacterium significantly. Therefore, 6G is expected to be a potential prebiotic that improves human health by promoting gut health.

Download Full-text

Comparative analysis and characterization of the gut microbiota of four farmed snakes from southern China

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.6658 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e6658 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Bing Zhang ◽

Jing Ren ◽

Daode Yang ◽

Shuoran Liu ◽

Xinguo Gong

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Host Species ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Southern China ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Operational Taxonomic Units ◽

Close Relationship ◽

Elaphe Carinata ◽

Deinagkistrodon Acutus

Background The gut microbiota plays an important role in host immunity and metabolic homeostasis. Although analyses of gut microbiotas have been used to assess host health and foster disease prevention and treatment, no comparative comprehensive study, assessing gut microbiotas among several species of farmed snake, is yet available. In this study, we characterized and compared the gut microbiotas of four species of farmed snakes (Naja atra, Ptyas mucosa, Elaphe carinata, and Deinagkistrodon acutus) using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene in southern China and tested whether there was a relationship between gut microbiotal composition and host species. Results A total of 629 operational taxonomic units across 22 samples were detected. The five most abundant phyla were Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, and Actinobacteria, while the five most abundant genera were Bacteroides, Cetobacterium, Clostridium, Plesiomonas, and Paeniclostridium. This was the first report of the dominance of Fusobacteria and Cetobacterium in the snake gut. Our phylogenetic analysis recovered a relatively close relationship between Fusobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Alpha diversity analysis indicated that species richness and diversity were highest in the gut microbiota of D. acutus and lowest in that of E. carinata. Significant differences in alpha diversity were detected among the four farmed snake species. The gut microbiotas of conspecifics were more similar to each other than to those of heterospecifics. Conclusion This study provides the first comparative study of gut microbiotas among several species of farmed snakes, and provides valuable data for the management of farmed snakes. In farmed snakes, host species affected the species composition and diversity of the gut microbiota.

Download Full-text

Metabarcoding Analyses of Gut Microbiota of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from Lake Awassa and Lake Chamo, Ethiopia

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms8071040 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 1040

Author(s):

Negash Kabtimer Bereded ◽

Manuel Curto ◽

Konrad J. Domig ◽

Getachew Beneberu Abebe ◽

Solomon Workneh Fanta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Oreochromis Niloticus ◽

Nile Tilapia ◽

Large Scale ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Illumina Miseq ◽

Operational Taxonomic Units ◽

Nile Tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus ◽

Miseq Platform ◽

Ethiopian Lakes

The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) gut harbors a diverse microbial community; however, their variation across gut regions, lumen and mucosa is not fully elucidated. In this study, gut microbiota of all samples across gut regions and sample types (luminal content and mucosa) were analyzed and compared from two Ethiopian lakes. Microbiota were characterized using 16S rRNA Illumina MiSeq platform sequencing. A total of 2061 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained and the results indicated that Nile tilapia from Lake Chamo harbored a much more diversified gut microbiota than Lake Awassa. In addition, the gut microbiota diversity varied significantly across the gut region based on the Chao1, Shannon and Simpson index. The microbiome analyses of all samples in the midgut region showed significantly higher values for alpha diversity (Chao 1, Shannon and Simpson). Beta diversity analysis revealed a clear separation of samples according to sampling areas and gut regions. The most abundant genera were Clostridium_sensu_stricto and Clostridium_XI genera across all samples. Between the two sampling lakes, two phyla, Phylum Fusobacteria and Cyanobacteria, were found to be significantly different. On the other hand, six phyla (Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria) were significantly different across gut regions. In this study, we found that all samples shared a large core microbiota, comprising a relatively large number of OTUs, which was dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Fusobacteria and Actinobacteria. This study has established the bases for future large-scale investigations of gut microbiota of fishes in Ethiopian lakes.

Download Full-text

The gut microbiota influences skeletal muscle mass and function in mice

Science Translational Medicine ◽

10.1126/scitranslmed.aan5662 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (502) ◽

pp. eaan5662 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Shawon Lahiri ◽

Hyejin Kim ◽

Isabel Garcia-Perez ◽

Musarrat Maisha Reza ◽

Katherine A. Martin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skeletal Muscle ◽

Neuromuscular Junction ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Muscle Mass ◽

Skeletal Muscle Mass ◽

Neuromuscular Junctions ◽

Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽

Germ Free ◽

Mouse Skeletal Muscle ◽

And Function

The functional interactions between the gut microbiota and the host are important for host physiology, homeostasis, and sustained health. We compared the skeletal muscle of germ-free mice that lacked a gut microbiota to the skeletal muscle of pathogen-free mice that had a gut microbiota. Compared to pathogen-free mouse skeletal muscle, germ-free mouse skeletal muscle showed atrophy, decreased expression of insulin-like growth factor 1, and reduced transcription of genes associated with skeletal muscle growth and mitochondrial function. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry analysis of skeletal muscle, liver, and serum from germ-free mice revealed multiple changes in the amounts of amino acids, including glycine and alanine, compared to pathogen-free mice. Germ-free mice also showed reduced serum choline, the precursor of acetylcholine, the key neurotransmitter that signals between muscle and nerve at neuromuscular junctions. Reduced expression of genes encoding Rapsyn and Lrp4, two proteins important for neuromuscular junction assembly and function, was also observed in skeletal muscle from germ-free mice compared to pathogen-free mice. Transplanting the gut microbiota from pathogen-free mice into germ-free mice resulted in an increase in skeletal muscle mass, a reduction in muscle atrophy markers, improved oxidative metabolic capacity of the muscle, and elevated expression of the neuromuscular junction assembly genes Rapsyn and Lrp4. Treating germ-free mice with short-chain fatty acids (microbial metabolites) partly reversed skeletal muscle impairments. Our results suggest a role for the gut microbiota in regulating skeletal muscle mass and function in mice.

Download Full-text