Are the Gut Bacteria Telling Us to Eat or Not to Eat? Reviewing the Role of Gut Microbiota in the Etiology, Disease Progression and Treatment of Eating Disorders

: With the recognition of the important role of gut microbiota in both health and disease progression, attempts to modulate its composition as well as its co-metabolism with the organism have attracted special attention. Abundant studies have demonstrated that dysfunction or imbalance of gut microbiota is closely with disease including endocrine diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, tumors, cardiovascular diseases, et al. Herbal medicines have been applied for preventing and treating disease worldwide for hundreds of years. Although the underlying mechanism seems to be complex, one of the important one is through modulating gut microbiota. In this review, co-metabolism between herbal medicines and microbiota, as well as the potential pathways are summarized from most recent published papers.

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Gut Microbiota Cannot Compensate the Impact of (quasi) Aposymbiosis in Blattella germanica

Biology ◽

10.3390/biology10101013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1013

Author(s):

Maria Muñoz-Benavent ◽

Amparo Latorre ◽

Ester Alemany-Cosme ◽

Jesús Marín-Miret ◽

Rebeca Domínguez-Santos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Antibiotic Treatment ◽

Adult Stage ◽

Blattella Germanica ◽

Gut Bacteria ◽

Symbiotic System ◽

The Impact

Blattella germanica presents a very complex symbiotic system, involving the following two kinds of symbionts: the endosymbiont Blattabacterium and the gut microbiota. Although the role of the endosymbiont has been fully elucidated, the function of the gut microbiota remains unclear. The study of the gut microbiota will benefit from the availability of insects deprived of Blattabacterium. Our goal is to determine the effect of the removal (or, at least, the reduction) of the endosymbiont population on the cockroach’s fitness, in a normal gut microbiota community. For this purpose, we treated our cockroach population, over several generations, with rifampicin, an antibiotic that only affects the endosymbiont during its extracellular phase, and decreases its amount in the following generation. As rifampicin also affects gut bacteria that are sensitive to this antibiotic, the treatment was performed during the first 12 days of the adult stage, which is the period when the endosymbiont infects the oocytes and lacks bacteriocyte protection. We found that after this antibiotic treatment, the endosymbiont population remained extremely reduced and only the microbiota was able to recover, although it could not compensate for the endosymbiont role, and the host’s fitness was drastically affected. This accomplished reduction, however, is not homogenous and requires further study to develop stable quasi-aposymbiotic cockroaches.

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Possible role of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of anorexia nervosa

BioPsychoSocial Medicine ◽

10.1186/s13030-021-00228-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nobuyuki Sudo

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorders ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Anorexia Nervosa ◽

Eating Disorder ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Psychosocial Factors ◽

Biological Factors ◽

Fear Of Weight Gain

AbstractAnorexia nervosa (AN), an eating disorder, is characterized by extreme weight loss and fear of weight gain. Psychosocial factors are thought to play important roles in the development and progression of AN; however, biological factors also presumably contribute to eating disorders. Recent evidence has shown that the gut microbiota plays an important role in pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders including AN. In this article, we describe the possible role of the gut microbiota in the development and persistence of AN, based on the latest research works, including those of our group.

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Gut Microbiota and Predicted Metabolic Pathways in a Sample of Mexican Women Affected by Obesity and Obesity Plus Metabolic Syndrome

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20020438 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 438 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Alejandra Chávez-Carbajal ◽

Khemlal Nirmalkar ◽

Ana Pérez-Lizaur ◽

Fernando Hernández-Quiroz ◽

Silvia Ramírez-del-Alto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Lipid Metabolism ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Metabolic Pathways ◽

Gut Bacteria ◽

Mexican Women ◽

Significant Enrichment ◽

Prevalence Of Obesity ◽

High Throughput Dna Sequencing

Obesity is an excessive fat accumulation that could lead to complications like metabolic syndrome. There are reports on gut microbiota and metabolic syndrome in relation to dietary, host genetics, and other environmental factors; however, it is necessary to explore the role of the gut microbiota metabolic pathways in populations like Mexicans, where the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome is high. This study identify alterations of the gut microbiota in a sample of healthy Mexican women (CO), women with obesity (OB), and women with obesity plus metabolic syndrome (OMS). We studied 67 women, characterizing their anthropometric and biochemical parameters along with their gut bacterial diversity by high-throughput DNA sequencing. Our results indicate that in OB or OMS women, Firmicutes was the most abundant bacterial phylum. We observed significant changes in abundances of bacteria belonging to the Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Erysipelotrichaceae families and significant enrichment of gut bacteria from 16 different taxa that might explain the observed metabolic alterations between the groups. Finally, the predicted functional metagenome of the gut microbiota found in each category shows differences in metabolic pathways related to lipid metabolism. We demonstrate that Mexican women have a particular bacterial gut microbiota characteristic of each phenotype. There are bacteria that potentially explain the observed metabolic differences between the groups, and gut bacteria in OMS and OB conditions carry more genes of metabolic pathways implicated in lipid metabolism.

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A systematic review on the role of microbiota in the pathogenesis and treatment of eating disorders

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/j.eurpsy.2020.109 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Elvira Anna Carbone ◽

Pasquale D'Amato ◽

Giuseppe Vicchio ◽

Pasquale De Fazio ◽

Cristina Segura-Garcia

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Eating Disorders ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Intestinal Inflammation ◽

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Affective Symptoms

Abstract Background There is growing interest in new factors contributing to the genesis of eating disorders (EDs). Research recently focused on the study of microbiota. Dysbiosis, associated with a specific genetic susceptibility, may contribute to the development of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder, and several putative mechanisms have already been identified. Diet seems to have an impact not only on modification of the gut microbiota, facilitating dysbiosis, but also on its recovery in patients with EDs. Methods This systematic review based on the PICO strategy searching into PubMed, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and Cochrane Library examined the literature on the role of altered microbiota in the pathogenesis and treatment of EDs. Results Sixteen studies were included, mostly regarding AN. Alpha diversity and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels were lower in patients with AN, and affective symptoms and ED psychopathology seem related to changes in gut microbiota. Microbiota-derived proteins stimulated the autoimmune system, altering neuroendocrine control of mood and satiety in EDs. Microbial richness increased in AN after weight regain on fecal microbiota transplantation. Conclusions Microbiota homeostasis seems essential for a healthy communication network between gut and brain. Dysbiosis may promote intestinal inflammation, alter gut permeability, and trigger immune reactions in the hunger/satiety regulation center contributing to the pathophysiological development of EDs. A restored microbial balance may be a possible treatment target for EDs. A better and more in-depth characterization of gut microbiota and gut–brain crosstalk is required. Future studies may deepen the therapeutic and preventive role of microbiota in EDs.

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The role of gut microbiota in hepatitis B disease progression and treatment

Journal of Viral Hepatitis ◽

10.1111/jvh.13595 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Bryan Chen ◽

Harry Huang ◽

Calvin Q. Pan

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis B ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Disease Progression

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Role of Cecal Microbiota in the Differential Resistance of Inbred Chicken Lines to Colonization by Campylobacter jejuni

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.02607-19 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 86 (7) ◽

Author(s):

Cosmin Chintoan-Uta ◽

Trong Wisedchanwet ◽

Laura Glendinning ◽

Abi Bremner ◽

Androniki Psifidi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Campylobacter Jejuni ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Differential Resistance ◽

Gut Bacteria ◽

Content Type ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Cecal Microbiota

ABSTRACT Campylobacteriosis is the leading foodborne bacterial diarrheal illness in many countries, with up to 80% of human cases attributed to the avian reservoir. The only control strategies currently available are stringent on-farm biosecurity and carcass treatments. Heritable differences in the resistance of chicken lines to Campylobacter colonization have been reported and resistance-associated quantitative trait loci are emerging, although their impact on colonization appears modest. Recent studies indicated a protective role of the microbiota against colonization by Campylobacter in chickens. Furthermore, in murine models, differences in resistance to bacterial infections can be partially transferred between lines by transplantation of gut microbiota. In this study, we investigated whether heritable differences in colonization of inbred chicken lines by Campylobacter jejuni are associated with differences in cecal microbiota. We performed homologous and heterologous cecal microbiota transplants between line 61 (resistant) and line N (susceptible) by orally administering cecal contents collected from 3-week-old donors to day-of-hatch chicks. Recipient birds were challenged (day 21) with C. jejuni 11168H. In birds given homologous microbiota, the differential resistance of lines to C. jejuni colonization was reproduced. Contrary to our hypothesis, transfer of cecal microbiota from line 61 to line N significantly increased C. jejuni colonization. No significant difference in the overall composition of the cecal microbial communities of the two lines was identified, although line-specific differences for specific operational taxonomic units were identified. Our data suggest that while heritable differences in avian resistance to Campylobacter colonization exist, these are not explained by significant variation in the cecal microbiota. IMPORTANCE Campylobacter is a leading cause of foodborne diarrheal disease worldwide. Poultry are a key source of human infections, but there are currently few effective measures against Campylobacter in poultry during production. One option to control Campylobacter may be to alter the composition of microbial communities in the avian intestines by introducing beneficial bacteria, which exclude the harmful ones. We previously described two inbred chicken lines which differ in resistance to intestinal colonization by Campylobacter. Here, we investigated the composition of the microbial communities in the gut of these lines and whether transferring gut bacteria between the resistant and susceptible lines alters their resistance to Campylobacter. No major differences in microbial populations were found, and resistance or susceptibility to colonization was not conferred by transferring gut bacteria between lines. The data suggest that gut microbiota did not play a role in resistance to Campylobacter colonization, at least in the lines used.

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Apis cerana gut microbiota contribute to host health though stimulating host immune system and strengthening host resistance to Nosema ceranae

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.192100 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 192100 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yuqi Wu ◽

Yufei Zheng ◽

Yanan Chen ◽

Gongwen Chen ◽

Huoqing Zheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Host Resistance ◽

Apis Cerana ◽

Gut Bacteria ◽

Nosema Ceranae ◽

Host Immune System ◽

Jnk Pathway ◽

Host Health

Gut microbial communities play vital roles in the modulation of many insects' immunity, including Apis mellifera . However, little is known about the interaction of Apis cerana gut bacteria and A. cerana immune system. Here in this study, we conducted a comparison between germ-free gut microbiota deficient (GD) workers and conventional gut community (CV) workers, to reveal the possible impact of gut microbiota on the expression of A. cerana antimicrobial peptides and immune regulate pathways. We also test whether A. cerana gut microbiota can strengthen host resistance to Nosema ceranae . We find that the expression of apidaecin , abaecin and hymenoptaecin were significantly upregulated with the presence of gut bacteria, and JNK pathway was activated; in the meanwhile, the existence of gut bacteria inhibited the proliferation of Nosema ceranae . These demonstrated the essential role of A. cerana gut microbiota to host health and provided critical insight into the honeybee host–microbiome interaction.

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