Elucidating the Relations between Gut Bacterial Composition and the Plasma and Fecal Metabolomes of Antibiotic Treated Wistar Rats

The gut microbiome is vital to the health and development of an organism, specifically in determining the host response to a chemical (drug) administration. To understand this, we investigated the effects of six antibiotic (AB) treatments (Streptomycin sulfate, Roxithromycin, Sparfloxacin, Vancomycin, Clindamycin and Lincomycin hydrochloride) and diet restriction (–20%) on the gut microbiota in 28-day oral toxicity studies on Wistar rats. The fecal microbiota was determined using 16S rDNA marker gene sequencing. AB-class specific alterations were observed in the bacterial composition, whereas restriction in diet caused no observable difference. These changes associated well with the changes in the LC–MS/MS- and GC–MS-based metabolome profiles, particularly of feces and to a lesser extent of plasma. Particularly strong and AB-specific metabolic alterations were observed for bile acids in both plasma and feces matrices. Although AB-group-specific plasma metabolome changes were observed, weaker associations between fecal and plasma metabolome suggest a profound barrier between them. Numerous correlations between the bacterial families and the fecal metabolites were established, providing a holistic overview of the gut microbial functionality. Strong correlations were observed between microbiota and bile acids, lipids and fatty acids, amino acids and related metabolites. These microbiome–metabolome correlations promote understanding of the functionality of the microbiome for its host.

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The 90-day oral toxicity of D-psicose in male Wistar rats

Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition ◽

10.3164/jcbn.11-66 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 158-161 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Tatsuhiro Matsuo ◽

Reika Ishii ◽

Yoko Shirai

Keyword(s):

Wistar Rats ◽

Oral Toxicity ◽

Male Wistar Rats

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Spatiotemporal variation in the fecal microbiota of mule deer is associated with proximate and future measures of host health

BMC Veterinary Research ◽

10.1186/s12917-021-02972-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hyrum S. Eddington ◽

Courtney Carroll ◽

Randy T. Larsen ◽

Brock R. McMillan ◽

John M. Chaston

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

Marker Gene ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Mule Deer ◽

Winter Season ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Food Sources ◽

Nutrient Metabolism ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Before And After

Abstract Background Mule deer rely on fat and protein stored prior to the winter season as an energy source during the winter months when other food sources are sparse. Since associated microorganisms (‘microbiota’) play a significant role in nutrient metabolism of their hosts, we predicted that variation in the microbiota might be associated with nutrient storage and overwintering in mule deer populations. To test this hypothesis we performed a 16S rRNA marker gene survey of fecal samples from two deer populations in the western United States before and after onset of winter. Results PERMANOVA analysis revealed the deer microbiota varied interactively with geography and season. Further, using metadata collected at the time of sampling, we were able to identify different fecal bacterial taxa that could potentially act as bioindicators of mule deer health outcomes. First, we identified the abundance of Collinsella (family: Coriobacteriaceae) reads as a possible predictor of poor overwintering outcomes for deer herds in multiple locations. Second, we showed that reads assigned to the Bacteroides and Mollicutes Order RF39 were both positively correlated with deer protein levels, leading to the idea that these sequences might be useful in predicting mule deer protein storage. Conclusions These analyses confirm that variation in the microbiota is associated with season-dependent health outcomes in mule deer, which may have useful implications for herd management strategies.

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Safety Evaluation of Multiple Strains ofLactobacillus plantarumandPediococcus pentosaceusin Wistar Rats Based on the Ames Test and a 28-Day Feeding Study

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1155/2014/928652 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Cheng-Chih Tsai ◽

Sew-Fen Leu ◽

Quan-Rong Huang ◽

Lan-Chun Chou ◽

Chun-Chih Huang

Keyword(s):

Wistar Rats ◽

Clinical Chemistry ◽

Toxicity Study ◽

Bacterial Strains ◽

Oral Toxicity ◽

Short Term ◽

Mutagenic Potential ◽

Multiple Strains

Three lactic acid bacterial strains,Lactobacillus plantarum, HK006, and HK109, andPediococcus pentosaceusPP31 exhibit probiotic potential as antiallergy agents, both in vitro and in vivo. However, the safety of these new strains requires evaluation when isolated from infant faeces or pickled cabbage. Multiple strains (HK006, HK109, and PP31) were subject to a bacterial reverse mutation assay and a short-term oral toxicity study. The powder product exhibited mutagenic potential inSalmonellaTyphimurium strains TA98 and TA1535 (with or without metabolic activation). In the short-term oral toxicity study, rats received a normal dosage of 390 mg/kg/d (approximately9×109 CFU/kg/d) or a high dosage of 1950 mg/kg/d (approximately4.5×1010 CFU/kg/d) for 28 d. No adverse effects were observed regarding the general condition, behaviour, growth, feed and water consumption, haematology, clinical chemistry indices, organ weights, or histopathologic analysis of the rats. These studies have demonstrated that the consumption of multiple bacterial strains is not associated with any signs of mutagenicity ofS.Typhimurium or toxicity in Wistar rats, even after consuming large quantities of bacteria.

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Safety evaluation of syringic acid: subacute oral toxicity studies in Wistar rats

Heliyon ◽

10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02129 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (8) ◽

pp. e02129 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Anwarbaig C. Mirza ◽

Shital S. Panchal

Keyword(s):

Wistar Rats ◽

Safety Evaluation ◽

Syringic Acid ◽

Oral Toxicity ◽

Toxicity Studies

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Acute and Sub-Acute Oral Toxicity Profile of Purified Tomato Extract on the Liver and Kidney Functions of Male Wistar Rats

10.26538/tjnpr/v5i11.12 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (11) ◽

pp. 1962-1965

Keyword(s):

Wistar Rats ◽

Acute Oral Toxicity ◽

Toxicity Profile ◽

Oral Toxicity ◽

Tomato Extract ◽

Male Wistar Rats ◽

Liver And Kidney ◽

Kidney Functions

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Acute and sub-acute oral toxicity of aqueous whole leaf and green rind extracts of Aloe vera in Wistar rats

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies ◽

10.1186/s12906-021-03470-4 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Florence Nalimu ◽

Joseph Oloro ◽

Emanuel L. Peter ◽

Patrick Engeu Ogwang

Keyword(s):

Toxicity Test ◽

Wistar Rats ◽

Leaf Extract ◽

Aloe Vera ◽

Female Rats ◽

Male Rats ◽

Aqueous Extracts ◽

Acute Oral Toxicity ◽

Oral Toxicity ◽

Leaf Extracts

Abstract Background Several local communities in Central, Western, Eastern, and Northern regions of Uganda have been using the whole leaf extracts of Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. (Asphodelaceae) in the treatment of various ailments. Also, several commercial companies sell A. vera as soft drinks in Uganda. However, there are inadequate reports on the toxicities of such preparations. This paper reports the acute and sub-acute oral toxicity of aqueous extracts of whole leaf and green rind of A. vera in Wistar rats. Methods Acute oral toxicity test was carried out in female Wistar rats at doses of 175, 550, 1750, and 5000 mg/kg, p.o. The animals were observed for signs of toxicity for 14 days. Similarly, a sub-acute oral toxicity test was performed in both sexes of rats at doses of 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg, p.o. daily for 28 days. All the groups of animals were monitored for behavioral, morphological, biochemical, and physiological changes, including mortality and compared with respective controls. Body weights were measured weekly while the animals’ relative organ weights, hematological, biochemical, gross, and microscopic pathology were examined on day 29. Results There was no mortality or apparent behavioral changes at the doses tested in acute and sub-acute oral toxicity tests. Thus, the Median Lethal Dose (LD50) of green rind and whole leaf aqueous extracts was above 5000 mg/kg. Gross anatomy revealed that the rats’ relative spleen weight in green rind extract at 200 mg/kg significantly decreased compared to the control group. The creatinine levels in female rats that received green rind extract and the chloride ion levels in male rats administered whole leaf extract were significantly elevated. Conversely, Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) levels significantly decreased at lower doses of the green rind extract compared to the control. Histopathology of the kidney revealed the renal interstitium’s inflammation at doses of 200 and 800 mg/kg of the whole leaf extract. Conclusion The findings demonstrated that A. vera green rind and whole leaf extracts are non-toxic at relatively high doses when used for a short duration. Prolonged use of the aqueous whole leaf extract might be associated with kidney toxicity.

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A 90-Day Oral Toxicity of Hydroethanolic Root Extract of Carissa spinarum in Wistar Rats

Journal of Toxicology ◽

10.1155/2021/5570206 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Komlan M. Dossou-Yovo ◽

Aboudoulatif Diallo ◽

Povi Lawson-Evi ◽

Yendubé T. Kantati ◽

Tchin Darré ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Biochemical Parameters ◽

Wistar Rats ◽

Hematological Parameters ◽

Relative Weight ◽

Control Group ◽

Root Extract ◽

Weight Changes ◽

Oral Toxicity ◽

Significant Difference

Background. Herbal medication is a worldwide and ancient practice, mostly in developing countries, where a large part of the population is involved in this practice. Hence, studies must be conducted to evaluate their safety and efficiency to avoid or prevent toxicological risks due to their usage. In Togo, Carissa spinarum is a medicinal plant belonging to Apocynaceae family, used as an aphrodisiac or to heal some ailments including malaria, sickle cell anemia, hypertension, pain, and asthma. Notwithstanding its several ethnomedicinal benefits, just a few toxicological data associated with its chronic use are available. Objective. Therefore, this study aims to assess the toxicity of an ethanolic root extract of Carissa spinarum in Wistar rats. Methods. The 90-day oral toxicity process following OECD TG 408 guidelines is used. Male Wistar rats received Carissa spinarum root hydroethanolic extract at 500 and 1000 mg/kg for 90 days by oral gavage. Body weight changes, hematological and blood biochemical parameters, organ weight changes, malondialdehyde as a lipoperoxidation marker expressed according to tissue proteins, and histopathology of vital organs were assessed. Results. No signs of toxicity or mortality were observed during the 90 days experiment. Hematological parameters have not shown any treatment-related abnormalities. According to biochemical parameters, an increase in the chloride ion level was observed at 1000 mg/kg p < 0.01 . There was no significant difference between the treated groups and the control group concerning the malondialdehyde concentration, body weight, and organ relative weight. No changes in necropsy and histopathology of vital organs associated with extract treatment were observed. Conclusion. The results indicated that an ethanolic root extract of Carissa spinarum does not cause adverse effects, which can lead to Wistar rats’ death after 90-day oral administration at 500 and 1000 mg.

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Cascabel: A Scalable and Versatile Amplicon Sequence Data Analysis Pipeline Delivering Reproducible and Documented Results

Frontiers in Genetics ◽

10.3389/fgene.2020.489357 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Alejandro Abdala Asbun ◽

Marc A. Besseling ◽

Sergio Balzano ◽

Judith D. L. van Bleijswijk ◽

Harry J. Witte ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Single Gene ◽

Marker Gene ◽

Gene Sequencing ◽

Data Generation ◽

Clustering Methods ◽

Analysis Pipeline ◽

Data Analysis Pipeline ◽

Marker Gene Sequencing

Marker gene sequencing of the rRNA operon (16S, 18S, ITS) or cytochrome c oxidase I (CO1) is a popular means to assess microbial communities of the environment, microbiomes associated with plants and animals, as well as communities of multicellular organisms via environmental DNA sequencing. Since this technique is based on sequencing a single gene, or even only parts of a single gene rather than the entire genome, the number of reads needed per sample to assess the microbial community structure is lower than that required for metagenome sequencing. This makes marker gene sequencing affordable to nearly any laboratory. Despite the relative ease and cost-efficiency of data generation, analyzing the resulting sequence data requires computational skills that may go beyond the standard repertoire of a current molecular biologist/ecologist. We have developed Cascabel, a scalable, flexible, and easy-to-use amplicon sequence data analysis pipeline, which uses Snakemake and a combination of existing and newly developed solutions for its computational steps. Cascabel takes the raw data as input and delivers a table of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) or Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) in BIOM and text format and representative sequences. Cascabel is a highly versatile software that allows users to customize several steps of the pipeline, such as selecting from a set of OTU clustering methods or performing ASV analysis. In addition, we designed Cascabel to run in any linux/unix computing environment from desktop computers to computing servers making use of parallel processing if possible. The analyses and results are fully reproducible and documented in an HTML and optional pdf report. Cascabel is freely available at Github: https://github.com/AlejandroAb/CASCABEL.

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