An In Vitro Approach to Studying the Microbial Community and Impact of Pre and Probiotics under Anorexia Nervosa Related Dietary Restrictions

Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) often suffer psychological and gastrointestinal problems consistent with a dysregulated gut microbial community. Psychobiotics have been postulated to modify microbiota and improve mental well-being and gut symptoms, but there is currently a lack of evidence for such approaches in AN. The aim of this study was to use an in vitro colonic model to evaluate the impact of dietary restrictions associated with AN on the intestinal ecosystem and to assess the impact of pre and probiotic intervention. Bacteriology was quantified using flow cytometry combined with fluorescence in situ hybridisation and metabolic end products (including neurotransmitters) by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry Consistent with previous research, the nutritional changes significantly reduced total microbiota and metabolites compared with healthy conditions. Pre and probiotic supplementation on restricted conditions enhanced the microbial community and modulated metabolic activity to resemble that of a healthy diet. The model system indicates that nutritional changes associated with AN can impact the microbial community, and that these changes can, at least in part, be restored through the use of pre and probiotic interventions.

CTRP6 rapidly responds to acute nutritional changes, regulating adipose tissue expansion and inflammation in mice

In chronic obesity, activated adipose tissue pro-inflammatory cascades are tightly linked to metabolic dysfunction. Yet, close temporal analyses of the responses to obesogenic environment such as high-fat feeding (HFF) in susceptible mouse strains question the causal relationship between inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, and/or raises the possibility that certain inflammatory cascades play adaptive/homeostatic, rather than pathogenic roles. Here we hypothesized that CTRP6, a C1QTNF family member, may constitute an early responder to acute nutritional changes in adipose tissue, with potential physiological roles. Both 3 days high-fat feeding (3dHFF) and acute obesity reversal (2 weeks switch to low-fat diet after 8w-HFF) already induced marked changes in whole-body fuel utilization. While adipose tissue expression of classical pro-inflammatory cytokines (Tnf-α, Ccl2, Il1b) exhibited no, or only minor, change, C1qtnf6 uniquely increased, and decreased, in response to 3dHFF and acute obesity reversal, respectively. CTRP6 knockout (KO) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) exhibited increased adipogenic gene expression (Pparg, Fabp4, Adipoq) and markedly reduced inflammatory genes (Tnf-α, Ccl2, Il6) compared to wild-type MEF, and recombinant CTRP6 induced the opposite gene expression signature, as assessed by RNA-sequencing. Consistently, 3dHFF of CTRP6-KO mice induced a greater whole-body and adipose tissue weight gain compared to wild-type littermates. Collectively, we propose CTRP6 as a gene that rapidly responds to acute changes in caloric intake, acting in acute over-nutrition to induce a "physiological inflammatory response" that limits adipose tissue expansion.

Nutritional Changes in Commercial Oil Blend During Repetitive Deep Fat Frying of French Fries with Sensory Characteristic of Fried Food

In present study, the effect of repetitive deep frying cycles (6 batches) of French fries was evaluated for nutritional changes of commercial oil blend (Canola, Sunflower, Cottonseed and Soybean) along with sensory characteristics of fried food. Each deep fat frying cycle was lasted for 13 min and resultant oil was analyzed for nutritional quality by assessing, free fatty acids (FFA), acid value (AV), para Anisidine value (p-AV), viscosity and fatty acid composition (FAC), while sensory characteristics of French fries were determined by evaluating appearance, color, crispness, taste and overall acceptability. Results showed that with increasing repetitive cycle’s leads to increase in FFA, AV, p-AV, and viscosity which is an indicator of frying oil deterioration. Up to 3 continuous cycles oil quality was within the permissible limits of INSO, however beyond that oil quality was not suitable. Result of FAC showed progressive increase in SFA (19.23 to 28.84%) from 1st to 6th frying cycle, while PUFA was significantly decreased during frying (39.31 to 31.75%). Sensory properties of French fries indicated particularly significant change (p>0.05) in color during last frying cycle as compared to other cycles (score 9.5 vs. 7.3).