scholarly journals Changes in mouse gastrointestinal microbial ecology with ingestion of kale

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Uyeno ◽  
S. Katayama ◽  
S. Nakamura

Kale, a cultivar of Brassica oleracea, has attracted a great deal of attention because of its health-promoting effects, which are thought to be exerted through modulation of the intestinal microbiota. The present study was performed to investigate the effects of kale ingestion on the gastrointestinal microbial ecology of mice. 21 male C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups and housed in a specific pathogen-free facility. The animals were fed either a control diet or experimental diets supplemented with different commercial kale products for 12 weeks. Contents of the caecum and colon of the mice were processed for the determination of active bacterial populations by a bacterial rRNA-based quantification method and short-chain fatty acids by HPLC. rRNAs of Bacteroides-Prevotella, the Clostridium coccoides-Eubacterium rectale group, and Clostridium leptum subgroup constituted the major fraction of microbiota regardless of the composition of the diet. The ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes was higher in the colon samples of one of the kale diet groups than in the control. The colonic butyrate level was also higher with the kale-supplemented diet. Overall, the ingestion of kale tended to either increase or decrease the activity of specific bacterial groups in the mouse gastrointestinal tract, however, the effect might vary depending on the nutritional composition.

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Schauf ◽  
N. Nakamura ◽  
C. Castrillo

SummaryThis study evaluated the effect ofBacillus subtilisC-3102 (Calsporin®) addition to the diet on faecal characteristics and nutrient digestibility in healthy adult dogs. Sixteen Beagles received either a low-energy control diet (CON; 3.35 Mcal metabolisable energy (ME)/kg with 21.8, 27.9, and 50.3% ME as protein, fat, and nitrogen-free extractives (NFE), respectively) or the same diet supplemented withBacillus subtilisat 1 × 109CFU/kg diet as probiotic (PRO) for four weeks in a parallel design (eight dogs per diet). In the prior two weeks, all dogs received a high-energy diet (Advance Medium Adult, Affinity Petcare®, 3.81 Mcal ME/kg ME with 24.8, 41.2, and 34% ME protein, fat, and NFE, respectively). Faecal consistency, dry matter (DM), pH, and NH3were analysed on fresh samples collected at the start and weekly throughout the study. Additional samples were collected for the determination of lactate and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) on days 0 and 21. In week four, a five–day total faecal collection was conducted in six dogs from each diet for the determination of nutrient apparent digestibility. Dogs fed the PRO diet had more firm faeces (P = 0.011) than control dogs and a higher faecal DM content in the first two weeks (P < 0.05). Feeding the PRO diet resulted in a decline in NH3over four weeks (P = 0.05) and in faecal pH in the first two weeks (P < 0.05) alongside an increase in SCFA content (P = 0.044), mainly acetate (P = 0.024). Faecal lactate did not differ between diets (P > 0.10). Dogs fed the PRO diet showed a higher apparent digestibility of fat (P = 0.031) and NFE (P = 0.038) compared to control dogs. Dog food supplementation with Calsporin®at 1 × 109CFU/kg improved faecal quality, enhanced fat and carbohydrate digestibility, and contributed to the gut health of dogs by reducing gut ammonia and increasing SCFA content.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwatosin Bode Omotoso ◽  
Mary Oluwafunmilayo Adeduntan ◽  
Adebowale Noah Fajemisin

Abstract Background The study highlighted the potential of three common and under-utilized tropical leguminous seeds (Tomentosa nilotica, Dioclea reflexa and Monodora myristica) to be used as supplementary feed to ruminant livestock. These seeds (their plants inclusive) are valuable sources of food and medicine for the prevention of illness and maintenance of human health. The medicinal properties of these seeds include antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and immuno-stimulant. Trypsin inhibitors, which are common anti-nutritional factors in legumes and for monogastric animals, do not exert adverse effects in ruminants because they are degraded in the rumen. Hence, the crux of this study is to examine the effect of processing methods on the nutritional composition (proximate, fibre fractions, minerals, anti-nutrients) and in vitro digestibility of Tomentosa nilotica, Dioclea reflexa and Monodora myristica seeds and their suitability as feedstuff (protein sources) in small ruminant feed, particularly during off-season. Results From the results, raw Tomentosa nilotica and Monodora myristica have the highest crude protein (30.35% CP) and fat (22.40% EE), respectively. It is noteworthy that roasting best improve the mineral and significantly reduce the anti-nutrients observed in this study better compared to boiling and soaking methods. The highest organic matter digestibility, short-chain fatty acids, metabolizable energy and in vitro dry matter digestibility values were obtained in Dioclea reflexa compared to other test seeds. Roasting best improved the nutritive values, while Dioclea reflexa seed was rated highest for all the nutritional attributes and in vitro digestibility. Conclusions Dioclea reflexa could be incorporated in ruminants’ diet as protein source, particularly during the off-season, for improved ruminant production in Nigeria. However, in vivo study is therefore recommended to validate this report.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1213
Author(s):  
Elena Martínez ◽  
Rita García-Martínez ◽  
Manuel Álvarez-Ortí ◽  
Adrián Rabadán ◽  
Arturo Pardo-Giménez ◽  
...  

Cookies, which form the largest category of bakery snacks, are considered a good vehicle to introduce nutrients into the diet. In this study, to increase the nutritional value of traditional commercial cookies, wheat flour was substituted with defatted flours made from flax, sesame, chia, and poppy, which are byproducts of the oil extraction industry. The differences in the technological properties, nutritional composition, and consumer acceptance of the reformulated cookies were evaluated. The results show that the wheat cookies used as the control showed a more elastic behavior than the cookies elaborated with defatted seed flours, which showed a greater tendency to crumble. The use of defatted seed flours yielded cookies with a higher content of protein and fiber, and a lower content in carbohydrates than the wheat cookies. Consumer evaluations for the sesame and flax cookies were similar to those for the traditional wheat cookies, with positive assessments on all of the parameters evaluated. On the other hand, the cookies elaborated using chia and poppy flours received the least positive evaluations from consumers. Thus, the use of some defatted seed flours, mainly flax and sesame, is proposed as an interesting alternative to produce health-promoting cookies in order to cover the current demand for gluten-free products.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1037
Author(s):  
Craig Resch ◽  
Mihir Parikh ◽  
J. Alejandro Austria ◽  
Spencer D. Proctor ◽  
Thomas Netticadan ◽  
...  

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.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj Kumar ◽  
Vivek Saurabh ◽  
Maharishi Tomar ◽  
Muzaffar Hasan ◽  
Sushil Changan ◽  
...  

Mangifera indica L. belongs to the family of Anacardiaceae and is an important fruit from South and Southeast Asia. India, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and the Philippines are among the top mango producer countries. Leaves of the mango plant have been studied for their health benefits, which are attributed to a plethora of phytochemicals such as mangiferin, followed by phenolic acids, benzophenones, and other antioxidants such as flavonoids, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, and tocopherols. The extracts from mango leaves (MLs) have been studied for their biological activities, including anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-obesity, lipid-lowering, hepato-protection, and anti-diarrheal. In the present review, we have elaborated on the nutritional and phytochemical profile of the MLs. Further, various bioactivities of the ML extracts are also critically discussed. Considering the phytochemical profile and beneficial effects of the MLs, they can be used as a potential ingredient for the development of functional foods and pharmaceutical drugs. However, more detailed clinical trials still needed to be conducted for establishing the actual efficacy of the ML extracts.


Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Pascual-García

AbstractIn this comment, we analyse the conceptual framework proposed by Aguirre de Cárcer (Microbiome 7:142, 2019), introducing the novel concept of Phylogenetic Core Groups (PCGs). This notion aims to complement the traditional classification in operational taxonomic units (OTUs), widely used in microbial ecology, to provide a more intrinsic taxonomical classification which avoids the use of pre-determined thresholds. However, to introduce this concept, the author frames his proposal in a wider theoretical framework based on a conceptualization of selection that we argue is a tautology. This blurs the subsequent formulation of an assembly principle for microbial communities, favouring that some contradictory examples introduced to support the framework appear aligned in their conclusions. And more importantly, under this framework and its derived methodology, it is not possible to infer PCGs from data in a consistent way. We reanalyse the proposal to identify its logical and methodological flaws and, through the analysis of synthetic scenarios, we propose a number of methodological refinements to contribute towards the determination of PCGs in a consistent way. We hope our analysis will promote the exploration of PCGs as a potentially valuable tool, helping to bridge the gap between environmental conditions and community composition in microbial ecology.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-62
Author(s):  
Diofanor Acevedo Correa ◽  
Piedad M. Montero Castillo ◽  
Raúl J. Martelo

2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Janczyk ◽  
R. Pieper ◽  
V. Urubschurov ◽  
K. R. Wendler ◽  
W. B. Souffrant

Essential oils (EO) are being considered as possible alternatives to in-feed antibiotic growth promoters in pig nutrition. The effects of an EO mixture consisting of limonene, eugenol and pinene (10.0, 2.0, and 4.8 mg/kg diet, resp.) on gut physiology and ecology were studied in piglets. The experiment was conducted at low (commercial farm) and high hygienic conditions (experimental farm), to elucidate interactions between EO supplementation and husbandry methods. Piglets were weaned at 28 days of age, when they were offered either a control diet (C) or C with EO. Four piglets were sacrificed in each group on day 29, 30, 33 and 39. Digesta from the third distal part of the small intestine and from the colon were sampled and analysed for pH, dry matter, lactic acid, short chain fatty acids and ammonia concentrations. Enterobacteria, enterococci, lactobacilli and yeast counts were obtained by plating. Genomic DNA was extracted from digesta and polymerase chain reaction—denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was performed. Individual microbial communities were identified at each farm. Age affected the intestinal parameters. No effects of the EO with exception for a significant reduction in colon bacterial diversity at 39 days of age could be recorded at experimental farm.


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