scholarly journals Metagenomic analysis of taxonomic and functional changes in gut microbiota of patients with alcoholic dependence syndrome

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 742-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
V.B. Dubinkina ◽  
A.V. Tyakht ◽  
E.N. Ilina ◽  
D.S. Ischenko ◽  
B.A. Kovarsky ◽  
...  

Here we present the first metagenomic study of gut microbiota in patients with alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) performed in the whole-genome (“shotgun”) format. Taxonomic analysis highlighted changes in community “drivers” abundance previously associated with inflammatory processes (including increase in Ruminococcus gnavus and torques, as well as decrease in Faecalibacterium and Akkermansia). Microbiota of alcoholics manifested presence of specific opportunistic pathogens rarely detected in healthy control subjects of the world. Differential analysis of metabolic potential basing on changes in KEGG Orthology groups abundance revealed increase in pathways associated with response to oxidative stress. Analysis of two specific gene groups – alcohol metabolism and virulence factors – also showed increase in comparison with the control groups. We suggest that gut microbiota distinct in alcoholics by both taxonomic and functional composition plays role in modulating the effect of alcohol on host organism.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 973
Author(s):  
Maria Cristina Petralia ◽  
Rosella Ciurleo ◽  
Alessia Bramanti ◽  
Placido Bramanti ◽  
Andrea Saraceno ◽  
...  

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe psychiatric disorder with several clinical manifestations that include cognitive dysfunction, decline in motivation, and psychosis. Current standards of care treatment with antipsychotic agents are often ineffective in controlling the disease, as only one-third of SCZ patients respond to medications. The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of SCZ remain elusive. It is believed that inflammatory processes may play a role as contributing factors to the etiology of SCZ. Galectins are a family of β-galactoside-binding lectins that contribute to the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses, and previous reports have shown their role in the maintenance of central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis and neuroinflammation. In the current study, we evaluated the expression levels of the galectin gene family in post-mortem samples of the hippocampus, associative striatum, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex from SCZ patients. We found a significant downregulation of LGALS8 (Galectin-8) in the hippocampus of SCZ patients as compared to otherwise healthy donors. Interestingly, the reduction of LGALS8 was disease-specific, as no modulation was observed in the hippocampus from bipolar nor major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. Prediction analysis identified TBL1XR1, BRF2, and TAF7 as potential transcription factors controlling LGALS8 expression. In addition, MIR3681HG and MIR4296 were negatively correlated with LGALS8 expression, suggesting a role for epigenetics in the regulation of LGALS8 levels. On the other hand, no differences in the methylation levels of LGALS8 were observed between SCZ and matched control hippocampus. Finally, ontology analysis of the genes negatively correlated with LGALS8 expression identified an enrichment of the NGF-stimulated transcription pathway and of the oligodendrocyte differentiation pathway. Our study identified LGALS8 as a disease-specific gene, characterizing SCZ patients, that may in the future be exploited as a potential therapeutic target.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 122
Author(s):  
Lilly-Ann Mohlkert ◽  
Jenny Hallberg ◽  
Olof Broberg ◽  
Gunnar Sjöberg ◽  
Annika Rydberg ◽  
...  

Preterm birth has been associated with altered cardiac phenotype in adults. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that children surviving extremely preterm birth have important structural or functional changes of the right heart or pulmonary circulation. We also examined relations between birth size, gestational age, neonatal diagnoses of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) with cardiac outcomes. We assessed a population-based cohort of children born in Sweden before 27 weeks of gestation with echocardiography at 6.5 years of age (n = 176). Each preterm child was matched to a healthy control child born at term. Children born preterm had significantly smaller right atria, right ventricles with smaller widths, higher relative wall thickness and higher estimated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) than controls. In preterm children, PVR and right ventricular myocardial performance index (RVmpi’) were significantly higher in those with a PDA as neonates than in those without PDA, but no such associations were found with BPD. In conclusion, children born extremely preterm exhibit higher estimated PVR, altered right heart structure and function compared with children born at term.


2021 ◽  
Vol 134 ◽  
pp. 111117
Author(s):  
Belén Pastor-Villaescusa ◽  
Julio Plaza-Díaz ◽  
Alejandro Egea-Zorrilla ◽  
Rosaura Leis ◽  
Gloria Bueno ◽  
...  

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 3907
Author(s):  
Sergio Pérez-Burillo ◽  
Beatriz Navajas-Porras ◽  
Alicia López-Maldonado ◽  
Daniel Hinojosa-Nogueira ◽  
Silvia Pastoriza ◽  
...  

Green tea can influence the gut microbiota by either stimulating the growth of specific species or by hindering the development of detrimental ones. At the same time, gut bacteria can metabolize green tea compounds and produce smaller bioactive molecules. Accordingly, green tea benefits could be due to beneficial bacteria or to microbial bioactive metabolites. Therefore, the gut microbiota is likely to act as middle man for, at least, some of the green tea benefits on health. Many health promoting effects of green tea seems to be related to the inter-relation between green tea and gut microbiota. Green tea has proven to be able to correct the microbial dysbiosis that appears during several conditions such as obesity or cancer. On the other hand, tea compounds influence the growth of bacterial species involved in inflammatory processes such as the release of LPS or the modulation of IL production; thus, influencing the development of different chronic diseases. There are many studies trying to link either green tea or green tea phenolic compounds to health benefits via gut microbiota. In this review, we tried to summarize the most recent research in the area.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 69-69
Author(s):  
Dylan Dodd

Abstract The gastrointestinal tract of mammals is home to a dense population of microbes which influence host physiology and health. One of the most concrete ways that the gut microbiota impacts host biology is through the production of hundreds of chemically diverse small molecules. These molecules are absorbed into the bloodstream, where they reach concentrations similar to those achieved by pharmaceuticals and bind host receptors leading to changes in cellular and organ physiology. Here I will summarize recent work from our group and others that show how microbially sourced metabolites alter health and physiology of the host. I will also discuss how mechanistic studies of small molecules from the microbiota are enabling new therapeutic approaches to harness the metabolic potential of the gut microbiota.


Pancreatology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. S90-S91
Author(s):  
F. Frost ◽  
F. Weiss ◽  
M. Sendler ◽  
T. Kacprowski ◽  
M. Rühlemann ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Hongcheng Wei ◽  
Siting Deng ◽  
Yufeng Qin ◽  
Xu Yang ◽  
Ting Chen ◽  
...  

The gut microbiota alternations are associated with gestational anemia (GA); however, limited predictive value for the subsequent incidence of anemia in normal gestational women has been obtained. We sought to rigorously characterise gut dysbiosis in subjects with GA and explored the potential predictive value of novel microbial signatures for the risk of developing GA. A prospective cohort of subjects with GA (n = 156) and healthy control (n = 402), all of whom were free of GA in the second trimester, by 16S rRNA gene sequencing was conducted. Microbial signatures altered dramatically in GA compared with healthy control in the second trimester. Megamonas, Veillonella, and Haemophilus were confirmed to show differential abundances in GA after adjusting for covariates. On the contrary, Lachnospiraceae and Blautia were enriched in control. Microbial co-abundance group (CAG) network was constructed. Prospectively, CAG network relatively accurately predicted upcoming GA in normal pregnant women with an AUC of 0.7738 (95%CI: 0.7171, 0.8306) and the performance was further validated in Validation set (0.8223, 95%CI: 0.7573, 0.8874). Overall, our study demonstrated that alterations in the gut microbial community were associated with anemia in pregnancy and microbial signatures could accurately predict the subsequent incidence of anemia in normal pregnant women. Our findings provided new insights into understanding the role of gut microbiota in GA, identifying high-risk individuals, and modulating gut microbiota as a therapeutic target, thus improving quality of life and well-being of women and children.


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