Hay vs. haylage; forage type influences the equine urinary metabonome and faecal microbiota

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease. Its worldwide prevalence is rapidly increasing and is currently estimated at 24%. NAFLD is highly associated with many features of the metabolic syndrome, including obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipidaemia, and hypertension. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is complex and not fully understood, but there is increasing evidence that the gut microbiota is strongly implicated in the development of NAFLD. In this review, we discuss the major factors that induce dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and disrupt intestinal permeability, as well as possible mechanisms leading to the development of NAFLD. We also discuss the most consistent NAFLD-associated gut microbiota signatures and immunological mechanisms involved in maintaining the gut barrier and liver tolerance to gut-derived factors. Gut-derived factors, including microbial, dietary, and host-derived factors involved in NAFLD pathogenesis, are discussed in detail. Finally, we review currently available diagnostic and prognostic methods, summarise latest knowledge on promising microbiota-based biomarkers, and discuss therapeutic strategies to manipulate the microbiota, including faecal microbiota transplantation, probiotics and prebiotics, deletions of individual strains with bacteriophages, and blocking the production of harmful metabolites.

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Safety and efficacy of faecal microbiota transplantation by Anaerobic Cultivated Human Intestinal Microbiome (ACHIM) in patients with systemic sclerosis: study protocol for the randomised controlled phase II ReSScue trial

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048541 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. e048541

Author(s):

Anna-Maria Hoffmann-Vold ◽

Håvard H Fretheim ◽

Vikas K Sarna ◽

Imon Barua ◽

Maylen N Carstens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Sclerosis ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Intestinal Microbiome ◽

Induction Phase ◽

Inflammatory Disorder ◽

Faecal Microbiota ◽

Safety And Efficacy ◽

Faecal Microbiota Transplantation ◽

Patient Reported

IntroductionIn the multisystem inflammatory disorder systemic sclerosis (SSc), gastrointestinal tract (GIT) affliction is highly prevalent. There are no known disease modifying therapies and the negative impact is substantial. Aiming for a new therapeutic principle, and inspired by recent work showing associations between gut microbiota changes and GIT symptoms in SSc, we performed a pilot study on faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) with the single-donor bacterial culture ‘Anaerobic Cultivated Human Intestinal Microbiome (ACHIM)’. Motivated by positive pilot study signals, we designed the ReSScue trial as a phase II multicentre, placebo-controlled, randomised 20-week trial to evaluate safety and efficacy on lower GIT symptoms of FMT by ACHIM in SSc.Methods and analysesWe aim to include 70 SSc participants with moderate to severe lower GIT symptoms, defined by the validated patient-reported University of California Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium GIT 2.0 2.0 questionnaire. The trial includes three parts. In part A1 (induction phase) lasting from week 0 to week 12, participants will be randomised 1:1 to repeat infusions of 30 mL ACHIM or placebo at week 0 and 2 by gastroduodenoscopy. In part A2, which is an 8-week subsequent maintenance phase, all study participants will receive 30 mL ACHIM at week 12 and followed until week 20 on continued blind. In part B, which will last until the last participant completes part A2, the participants will be followed through a maximum 16-week extended monitoring period, for longer-term data on safety and intervention effects. Primary endpoint is change from baseline to week 12 in UCLA GIT subscale scores of diarrhoea or bloating, depending on the worst symptom at baseline evaluated separately for each patient. Secondary endpoints are safety measures and changes in UCLA GIT scores (total, diarrhoea and bloating).Ethics and disseminationThis protocol was approved by the Northern Norwegian Committee for Medical Ethics. Study findings will be published.Trial registration numberNCT04300426; Pre-results.Protocol versionV.3.1.

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A Polyphenol Enriched Variety of Apple Alters Circulating Immune Cell Gene Expression and Faecal Microbiota Composition in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13041092 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1092

Author(s):

Matthew P. G. Barnett ◽

Wayne Young ◽

Kelly Armstrong ◽

Diane Brewster ◽

Janine M. Cooney ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Composition Analysis ◽

Cell Mediated Immunity ◽

Anthocyanin Content ◽

Microbiota Composition ◽

Faecal Microbiota ◽

Apple Variety ◽

Relative Abundances

Polyphenols within fruits and vegetables may contribute to health benefits due to their consumption, with the anthocyanin sub-set also adding colour. The Lemonade™ apple variety has green skin and white flesh, with low anthocyanin content, while some apple varieties have high anthocyanin content in both the skin and flesh. Effects of red compared with white-fleshed apples were studied in healthy human subjects in a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over intervention trial. Twenty-five healthy subjects consumed dried daily portions of the red-fleshed or placebo (white-fleshed) apple for two weeks, followed by one-week washout and further two-week crossover period. During the study, volunteers provided faecal samples for microbiota composition analysis and blood samples for peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression analysis. Subtle differences were observed in the faecal microbiota of subjects that were fed the different apples, with significant (p < 0.05) reductions in relative abundances of Streptococcus, Ruminococcus, Blautia, and Roseburia, and increased relative abundances of Sutterella, Butyricicoccus, and Lactobacillus in subjects after consuming the red apple. Changes in PBMC gene expression showed 18 mRNA transcripts were differentially expressed between the two groups, of which 16 were immunoglobulin related genes. Pathway analysis showed that these genes had roles in pathways such as immunoglobulin production, B cell-mediated immunity, complement activation, and phagocytosis. In conclusion, this study shows that anthocyanin-rich apples may influence immune function compared to control apples, with changes potentially associated with differences in the faecal microbiota.

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The Microbiome as a Therapy in Pouchitis and Ulcerative Colitis

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13061780 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 1780

Author(s):

Jean-Frédéric LeBlanc ◽

Jonathan P. Segal ◽

Lucia Maria de Campos Braz ◽

Ailsa L. Hart

Keyword(s):

Ulcerative Colitis ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Intestinal Inflammation ◽

Omega 3 Fatty Acids ◽

Omega 3 ◽

Faecal Microbiota ◽

Dietary Interventions ◽

Therapeutic Landscape ◽

Microbiome Diversity ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

The gut microbiome has been implicated in a range of diseases and there is a rapidly growing understanding of this ecosystem’s importance in inflammatory bowel disease. We are yet to identify a single microbe that causes either ulcerative colitis (UC) or pouchitis, however, reduced microbiome diversity is increasingly recognised in active UC. Manipulating the gut microbiome through dietary interventions, prebiotic and probiotic compounds and faecal microbiota transplantation may expand the therapeutic landscape in UC. Specific diets, such as the Mediterranean diet or diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, may reduce intestinal inflammation or potentially reduce the risk of incident UC. This review summarises our knowledge of gut microbiome therapies in UC and pouchitis.

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