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Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) is a causal agent for diarrheal diseases and contributes to morbidity and mortality in children under the age of five years.

As one of the key bioactive ingredients in pomegranate, punicalagin (PA) is potent in modulating gut microbial interactions and alleviating colitis-related pathology.

Emulsion-based delivery systems have been reported to improve the solubility, stability and bioavailability of astaxanthin. In this study, the ability of astaxanthin-loaded emulsions (AL) to ameliorate obesity induced by a high-fat and high-sucrose diet was explored, using astaxanthin in the oil phase (ASTA) as a comparison. After the administration of AL, ASTA (30 mg per kg body weight), or saline on normal or obese mice for 4 weeks, the body fat accumulation levels, hepatic lipid contents and hepatic fatty acid profiles were detected, and AL showed better anti-obesity properties than ASTA. In an acute feeding experiment, it was first observed that the astaxanthin concentration of AL was higher than that of ASTA in the blood and liver of obese mice. What's more, AL altered the microbial co-occurrence patterns in obese mice. Some gut microbial modules that were significantly correlated with obesity-related physiological parameters were identified. Overall, the improvement effect of AL on obesity is better than that of ASTA due to their higher oral absorbability and modulating effects on the gut microbiota, and we suggest AL as a more suitable astaxanthin product type for obese bodies.

It is unclear how docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) improves insulin resistance via modulating gut microbiome in obese individuals. We used diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice as a model to study the effects of DHA-rich fish oil (DHA-FO) on host metabolic disorders and colonic microbiome. DHA-FO reduced fat deposition, regulated lipid profiles and alleviated insulin resistance in DIO mice. Probably because DHA-FO prevented the permeation of lipopolysaccharide across intestinal epithelial barrier, and promoted peptide YY (PYY) secretion via the mediation of short chain fatty acids receptor (FFAR2) in colon. Furthermore, DHA-FO might regulate PYY expression by reversing microbial dysbiosis, including increasing the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila and Lactobacillus, and suppressing the growth of Helicobacter. DHA-FO also altered gut microbial function (e.g. “linoleic acid metabolism”) associated with PYY expression (r > 0.80, P

Enteropathogenic

As one of the major short-chain fatty acids produced via microbial fermentation, butyrate serves as not only a preferred energy substrate but also an important signaling molecule. Butyrate concentrations in circulation, tissues, and gut luminal contents have important pathophysiological implications. The genetic capacity of butyrate biosynthesis by the gut microbiota is frequently compromised during aging and various disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorders and colorectal cancer. Substantial efforts have been made to identify potent butyrogenic substrates and butyrate-hyperproducing bacteria to compensate for butyrate deficiency. Interindividual butyrogenic responses exist, which are more strongly predicted by heterogeneity in the gut microbiota composition than by ingested prebiotic substrates. In this review, we catalog major food types rich in butyrogenic substrates. We also discuss the potential of butyrogenic foods with proven properties for promoting gut health and disease management using findings from clinical trials. Potential limitations and constraints in the current research are highlighted. We advocate a precise nutrition approach in designing future clinical trials by prescreening individuals for key gut microbial signatures when recruiting study volunteers. The information provided in this review will be conducive to the development of microbiota engineering approaches for enhancing the sustained production of butyrate.

The study aims to investigate the potentially neuroprotective effects and underlying mechanisms for brown seaweed polysaccharide of polymannuronic acid (PM) against Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. PD model mice were pretreated with PM via oral gavage once per day for 4 weeks and the preventative effects of PM against neuronal loss together with its modulation on brain-gut-microbiota axis were systematically explored. The results showed PM administration improved motor functions by preventing dopaminergic neuronal loss in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and enhanced contents of striatal homovanillic acid (HVA), serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in PD mice. PM significantly alleviated inflammation in gut, brain and systemic circulation as shown by reduced levels or expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines concurrently and inhibited mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway in mice colon. Meanwhile, PM greatly improved integrity of intestinal barrier and blood brain barrier (BBB) as indicated by increased expressions of tight junction associated proteins in both mice colon and SNpc. Further studies indicated PM treatment resulted in changes of gut microbial compositions, together with great alterations of digestion and metabolism of dietary proteins and fats, which led to surge increase of fecal short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the colon of PD mice. In conclusion, pre-administration of PM could provide neuroprotective effects against PD pathogenesis by suppressing inflammation in gut, brain and systemic circulation, and by improving integrity of intestinal barrier and BBB. PM might modulate brain-gut-microbiota axis, at least in part, via gut microbiota derived SCFAs as mediators.

Haemonchus contortus is a critical parasite of goats and sheep. Infection by this blood-feeding gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasite has significant health consequences, especially in lambs and kids. The parasite has developed resistance to virtually all known classes of small molecule anthelmintics used to treat it, giving rise in some areas to multidrug resistant parasites that are very difficult to control. Thus, new anthelmintics are urgently needed. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crystal protein 5B (Cry5B), a naturally occurring protein made by a bacterium widely and safely used around the world as a bioinsecticide, represents a new non-small molecule modality for treating GINs. Cry5B has demonstrated anthelmintic activities against parasites of monogastric animals, including some related to those that infect humans, but has not yet been studied in a ruminant. Here we show that H. contortus adults are susceptible to Cry5B protein in vitro. Cry5B produced in its natural form as a spore-crystal lysate against H. contortus infections in goats had no significant efficacy. However, a new Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) paraprobiotic form of Cry5B called IBaCC (Inactivated Bacterium with Cytosolic Crystals), in which Cry5B crystals are encapsulated in dead Bt cell wall ghosts, showed excellent efficacy in vitro against larval stages of H. contortus and relative protein stability in bovine rumen fluid. When given to sheep experimentally infected with H. contortus as three 60 mg/kg doses, Cry5B IBaCC resulted in significant reductions in fecal egg counts (90%) and parasite burdens (72%), with a very high impact on female parasites (96% reduction). These data indicate that Cry5B IBaCC is a potent new treatment tool for small ruminants in the battle against H. contortus., Graphical abstract Image 1

With the voluntary and regulatory withdrawal of antibiotic growth promoters from animal feed, coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis (NE) emerge as the top two enteric poultry infectious diseases responsible for major economic loss worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between the cecal microbiota compositions with the growth trait after coccidiosis and NE. In this study, the effects of Eimeria maxima and/or Clostridium perfringens infections on the microbial composition and potential correlation with the body weight gain were investigated in broiler chickens using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. E. maxima and C. perfringens coinfection successfully induced NE with its typical gut lesions and significant reductions in the percentage of relative body weight gain (RBWG%). The NE challenge model did not affect cecal microbial diversity, but influenced the cecal microbial composition. KEGG enzymes in microbiota were significantly altered in abundance following dual infections. Furthermore, significant correlations between cecal microbiota modules and RBWG% were identified in the sham control, E. maxima or C. perfringens infected groups. Understanding of host-microbiota interaction in NE would enhance the development of antibiotics-independent strategies to reduce the harmful effect of NE on the gut microbiota structure, and improve the gut health and poultry production.

Astaxanthin has been favored as a health food supplement by obese consumers. However, no detailed descriptions are available concerning the absorption of astaxanthin in obese individuals. In this study, we conducted acute and chronic feeding experiments in C57BL/6J mice to study the differences in astaxanthin absorption in normal and obese bodies. The obesity condition greatly decreased astaxanthin concentration in the blood and liver, its accumulation in tissues and organs, and the bioaccessibility. This may be related to the excessive intake of sucrose, fatty acids, and cholesterol, the increased gastrointestinal motility, and the disorder of gut microbiota in the obese body. Overall, our study showed that the obese body had a far less oral absorbability of astaxanthin than a normal body, and we suggest that the recommended or approved doses of astaxanthin can be properly increased for the obese body in the hope that astaxanthin will play a more active role in obese individuals.

Most athletes continually endure mental and physical stress from intense exercise. Fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) can reduce physical exhaustion, but the concrete mechanism behind it still needs further research. In this study, the effect of FOS on colonic mucosal barriers was investigated using an exercise-induced stress mouse model. Except for control individuals, mice were subject to cycles of 2-day exercise (at 20 rpm) interleaved by 5-day rest. The mice experienced a total of 6 days of exercise during the feeding period. FOS improved common indicators of exhaustion, such as glycogen storage in muscle. 16S rRNA data supported that changes in the gut microbiome were also closely related to stress status. Notably, Anaerotruncus was increased in mice under stress, while FOS facilitated the growth of Dorea, which is negatively associated with exhaustion. The RNA-seq analysis revealed that FOS could maintain the integrity of colonic epithelial barriers. For example, FOS significantly restored the expression of tight junctions (Occludin and Zonula occludens-1) in the colon, which was impaired under a stress state. Besides, the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 6 (NLRP6) inflammasome might contribute to the protection of the colonic mucosa by promoting the secretion of IL-18, Mucin2 (Muc2) and intestine lectin 1 (Itln1) in FOS-treated individuals. In short, FOS administration attenuated the damage of colonic mucosal barriers in exercise-induced stressed mice.

Food additives, often used to guarantee the texture, shelf-life, taste, and appearance of processed foods, have gained widespread attention due to their increased link to the growing incidence of chronic diseases. As one of the most common additives, carrageenans have been used in human diets for hundreds of years. While classified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for human consumption, numerous studies since the 1980s have suggested that carrageenans, particularly those with random coil conformations, may have adverse effects on gastrointestinal health, including aggravating intestinal inflammation. While these studies have provided some evidence of adverse effects, the topic is still controversial. Some have suggested that the negative consequence of the consumption of carrageenans may be structure dependent. Furthermore, pre-existing conditions may predispose individuals to varied outcomes of carrageenan intake. In this review, structure-function relationships of various carrageenans in the context of food safety are discussed. We reviewed the molecular mechanisms by which carrageenans exert their biological effects. We summarized the findings associated with carrageenan intake in animal models and clinical trials. Moreover, we examined the interactions between carrageenans and the gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal disorders. This review argues for personalized guidance on carrageenan intake based on individuals' health status. Future research efforts that aim to close the knowledge gap on the effect of low-dose and chronic carrageenan intake as well as interactions among food additives should be conducive to the improved safety profile of carrageenans in processed food products.

LNCaP athymic xenograft model has been widely used to allow researchers to examine the effects and mechanisms of experimental treatments such as diet and diet-derived cancer preventive and therapeutic compounds on prostate cancer. However, the biological characteristics of human LNCaP cells before/after implanting in athymic mouse and its relevance to clinical human prostate outcomes remain unclear and may dictate interpretation of biological efficacies/mechanisms of diet/diet-derived experimental treatments. In this study, transcriptome profiles and pathways of human prostate LNCaP cells before (in vitro) and after (in vivo) implanting into xenograft mouse were compared using RNA-sequencing technology (RNA-seq) followed by bioinformatic analysis. A shift from androgen-responsive to androgen nonresponsive status was observed when comparing LNCaP xenograft tumor to culture cells. Androgen receptor and aryl-hydrocarbon pathway were found to be inhibited and interleukin-1 (IL-1) mediated pathways contributed to these changes. Coupled with in vitro experiments modeling for androgen exposure, cell-matrix interaction, inflammation, and hypoxia, we identified specific mechanisms that may contribute to the observed changes in genes and pathways. Our results provide critical baseline transcriptomic information for a tumor xenograft model and the tumor environments that might be associated with regulating the progression of the xenograft tumor, which may influence interpretation of diet/diet-derived experimental treatments.

The risk of recurrence of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer remains constant, even 20 years after diagnosis. Recurrence may be more likely in patients pre-programmed for it already in the womb, such as in the daughters born to obese mothers. Maternal obesity persistently alters offspring&rsquo, s gut microbiota and impairs tumor immune responses. To investigate if the gut dysbiosis is linked to increased risk of mammary cancer recurrence in the offspring of obese rat dams, we fed adult offspring genistein which is known to have beneficial effects on the gut bacteria. However, the effects of genistein on breast cancer remain controversial. We found that genistein intake after tamoxifen response prevented the increased risk of local recurrence in the offspring of obese dams but had no effect on the control offspring. A significant increase in the abundance of inflammatory Prevotellaceae and Enterobacteriaceae, and a reduction in short-chain fatty acid producing Clostridiaceae was observed in the offspring of obese dams. Genistein supplementation reversed these changes as well as reversed increased gut metabolite N-acetylvaline levels which are linked to increased all-cause mortality. Genistein supplementation also reduced genotoxic tyramine levels, increased metabolites improving pro-resolving phase of inflammation, and reversed the elevated tumor mRNA expression of multiple immunosuppressive genes in the offspring of obese dams. If translatable to breast cancer patients, attempts to prevent breast cancer recurrences might need to focus on dietary modifications which beneficially modify the gut microbiota.

Ascaris and Parascaris are important parasites in the family Ascarididae, large, ubiquitous intestinal-dwelling nematodes infecting all classes of vertebrates. Parasitic nematode drug resistance in veterinary medicine and drug recalcitrance in human medicine are increasing worldwide, with few if any new therapeutic classes on the horizon. Some of these parasites are zoonotic, e.g., Ascaris is passed from humans to pigs and vice versa. The development of new therapies against this family of parasites would have major implications for both human and livestock health. Here we tested the therapeutic ability of a paraprobiotic or dead probiotic that expresses the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry5B protein with known anthelmintic properties, against zoonotic Ascaris suum and Parascaris spp. This paraprobiotic, known as IBaCC, intoxicated A. suum larvae in vitro and was highly effective in vivo against intestinal A. suum infections in a new mouse model for this parasite. Fermentation was scaled up to 350 l to treat pigs and horses. Single dose Cry5B IBaCC nearly completely cleared A. suum infections in pigs. Furthermore, single dose Cry5B IBaCC drove fecal egg counts in Parascaris-infected foals to zero, showing at least parity with, and potential superiority to, current efficacy of anthelmintics used against this parasite. Cry5B IBaCC therefore represents a new, paraprobiotic One Health approach towards targeting Ascarididae that is safe, effective, massively scalable, stable, and useful in human and veterinary medicine in both the developed and developing regions of the world., Graphical abstract The paraprobiotic Cry5B IBaCC is an effective cure against ascarid parasites in vitro and in vivo in mice, pigs, and horses.Unlabelled Image, Highlights • IBaCC is Bacillus thuringiensis Cry5B protein crystals trapped inside dead bacteria. • IBaCC intoxicates Ascaris suum intestinal parasitic nematodes in vitro. • IBaCC is highly effective against A. suum parasites in vivo in mice and pigs. • IBaCC is highly effective against related Parascaris parasites in foals. • IBaCC represents a new paradigm for treating ascarid parasites of humans and animals.

The pig whipworm Trichuris suis is important in swine production because of its negative effects on pig performance and, notably, to some humans with inflammatory bowel disease as a therapeutic agent that modulates inflammation. The proximal colon of T. suis-infected pigs exhibited general inflammation around day 21 after inoculation with infective eggs that is transcriptionally characterized by markers of type-2 immune activation, inflammation, cellular infiltration, tissue repair enzymes, pathways of oxidative stress, and altered intestinal barrier function. Prominent gene pathways involved the Th2-response, de novo cholesterol synthesis, fructose and glucose metabolism, basic amino acid metabolism, and bile acid transport. Upstream regulatory factor analysis implicated the bile acid/farnesoid X receptor in some of these processes. Metabolic analysis indicated changes in fatty acids, antioxidant capacity, biochemicals related to methylation, protein glycosylation, extracellular matrix structure, sugars, Krebs cycle intermediates, microbe-derived metabolites and altered metabolite transport. Close to 1,200 differentially expressed genes were modulated in the proximal colon of pigs with a persistent adult worm infection that was nearly 90% lower in pigs that had expelled worms. The results support a model to test diets that favorably alter the microbiome and improve host intestinal health in both pigs and humans exposed to Trichuris.

Background: The small intestine, while serving as the main absorption organ, also possesses a unique microbiome environment and holds the critical function of conversion of primary bile acids. Bile acids are, in turn, able to regulate microbiome structure and promote the growth of bacteria that convert primary bile acids to secondary bile acids. However, in beef cattle, few studies have explored the microbiome compositions of the jejunum and its relationships with bile acids. Therefore, the hypothesis is that microbiome compositions in the intestine are influenced by diet style and also related to bile acids.Results: We demonstrated that the influences of diets on the intestinal microbiome could be observed in young beef cattle after weaning. A significantly higher level of microbial diversity was evidenced in feces of grass-fed animals comparing to grain-fed cattle. Top 20 essential genera were obtained with random forest analysis on the fecal microbiome to identify candidate microbial biomarkers. Moreover, the jejunal microbiome of adult Angus beef cattle exhibited significant differences in microbial composition and metabolic potential under different diets. Global balances and microbiome signatures of bile acids were identified. Conclusions: The findings from this study provided deep insights into microbiome compositions in fecal and jejunal and identified relationships between jejunal microbiome and bile acids with diets in Angus beef cattle. Our results should help us better understand grass-fed beef in production practice and potential health benefits.

Astaxanthin n-octanoic acid diester (AOD) is a type of astaxanthin connecting medium-chain fatty acids with a more stable structure. In this study, we examined the role of AOD in ameliorating insulin resistance (IR) induced by a high-fat and high-sucrose diet (HFD) as well as its effect on modulating gut microbiota in mice, with free astaxanthin (AST) as a comparison. Four groups of male C57BL/6J mice (6 weeks old, n = 10 per group) were fed with a normal control diet (NC), HFD orally administered with AOD, AST (50 mg/kg body weight), or vehicle for 8 weeks. AOD improved glucose tolerance, IR, systematic and intestinal inflammation, and intestinal integrity better than AST. Further, both AOD and AST modulated gut microbiota. A significantly higher abundance of Bacteroides and Coprococcus was found in AOD than in AST, and the predicted pathway of carbohydrate metabolism was significantly impacted by AOD. Overall, AOD may play a role in alleviating IR and inflammation with the modulating effect on microbiota in HFD-fed mice. Our findings could facilitate the development of AOD as a bioactive nutraceutical and more stable alternative to AST.

Data contamination in meta-approaches where multiple biological samples are combined considerably affects the results of subsequent downstream analyses, such as differential abundance tests comparing multiple groups at a fixed time point. Little has been thoroughly investigated regarding the impact of the lurking variable of various batch sources, such as different days or different laboratories, in more complicated time series experimental designs, for instance, repeatedly measured longitudinal data and metadata. We highlight that the influence of batch factors is significant on subsequent downstream analyses, including longitudinal differential abundance tests, by performing a case study of microbiome time course data with two treatment groups and a simulation study of mimic microbiome longitudinal counts.

High-fat, high-sugar diet (HFHS) induced leptin resistance and intestinal epithelial dysfunction is implicated in hyperphagia and metabolic disorders. Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of dietary interventions for reducing appetite. This study aims to investigate whether triacylglycerol rich in DHA (DHA-TG) could regulate appetite in mice fed with a HFHS diet and the mechanism by which it achieves that. DHA-TG could reduce food intake and regulate neuropeptides (POMC, AgRP, and NPY) expression in HFHS diet-fed mice. Hypothalamic transcriptome analysis reveals that these effects might be attributed to the role of DHA-TG in modulating hormone secretion and digestive system process. According to ELISA and RT-qPCR analysis, DHA-TG ameliorated leptin secretion and attenuated central leptin resistance induced by HFHS diet feeding. Besides, DHA-TG prevented the damage of intestinal epithelial barrier in nutritive obese mice by improving leptin sensitivity. Based on jejunal transcriptome analysis, DHA-TG also protected intestinal endocrine function, especially the secretion of another anorectic hormone, cholecystokinin (CCK), in HFHS diet-fed mice. Furthermore, DHA-TG was ineffective in repressing appetite, and improving gut leakage in leptin-deficient mice (ob/ob mice). In conclusion, DHA-TG has a potential to regulate appetite with the action of leptin, and intestinal epithelial functions in HFHS diet-fed mice.

Lactation in dairy cattle is coupled with increased nutrient requirements for milk synthesis. Therefore, dairy cattle metabolism has to adapt to meet lactation-associated challenges and requires major functional adjustments of the rumen and whole digestive system. This report describes the use of next-generation sequencing technology for assembly and profiling of the transcriptome of cattle rumen epithelial tissues from cattle in both dry and lactation periods. Transcriptomics profiling and comparison revealed extensive changes in gene expression related to metabolism in rumen epithelial tissue due to the adaptation to lactation. Ruminal epithelial adaptation to the challenges of metabolism and high nutrient requirements during lactation is presumably the primary triggers for these alterations in gene expression. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the gene expression profiles of the rumen epithelia from dry and lactating cattle fall into two very distinct clusters. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that the most GO terms were related to various metabolic processes in lactating cattle. The most significantly (false discovery rate (FDR) p-value < 0.05) enriched GO term in biological processes was “carbohydrate derivative metabolic process”, followed by “nucleoside metabolic process”. Up-stream regulators, such as PPARA (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha) gene, and up-regulated genes of molecular transporters are the focal points of this report.

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of a new member of Vi1-like phages, Escherichia coli phage vB_EcoM Sa157lw, isolated from surface water collected near a produce-growing area in California. This phage does not harbor stx or other lysogeny-associated genes and therefore may have biocontrol application potential.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of rice containing different levels of resistant starch on the gut microbiome using a rodent model. METHODS: Rice with low resistant starch (0.11%), medium resistant starch (1.07%) and high resistant starch (8.61%) were cooked, grounded into powders and used to formulate diet to represent all the carbohydrates in mice diet that consist of low fat (LF, 10 kcal %) or high fat (HF, 39 kcal %). C57BL/6 mice (n = 60, male, 5 weeks old) were randomly assigned to six feeding groups: (1) low-fat and low resistant starch diet (LL); (2) high-fat and low resistant starch diet (HL); (3) low-fat and medium resistant starch diet (LM); (4) high-fat and medium resistant starch diet (HM); (5) low-fat and high resistant starch diet (LH); (6) high-fat and high resistant starch diet (HH). Mice were fed with diets for 8 weeks then gut microbiome composition was determined using 16S rDNA sequencing of cecal contents. RESULTS: We found that the gut microbiome was significantly different at different levels of resistant starch (P

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O145 is one of the most prevalent non-O157 serogroups associated with foodborne outbreaks. Lytic phages are a potential alternative to antibiotics in combatting bacterial pathogens. In this study, we characterized a Siphoviridae phage lytic against STEC O145 strains as a novel antimicrobial agent. Escherichia phage vB_EcoS-Ro145clw (Ro145clw) was isolated and purified prior to physiological and genomic characterization. Then, in vitro antimicrobial activity against an outbreak strain, E. coli O145:H28, was evaluated. Ro145clw is a double-stranded DNA phage with a genome 42,031 bp in length. Of the 67 genes identified in the genome, 21 were annotated with functional proteins, none of which were stx genes. Ro145clw had a latent period of 21 min and a burst size of 192 phages per infected cell. The phage could sustain a wide range of pH (pH 3 to pH 10) and temperatures (&minus, 80 &deg, C to &minus, 73 &deg, C). Ro145clw was able to reduce E. coli O145:H28 in lysogeny broth by approximately 5 log at 37 &deg, C in four hours. These findings indicate that the Ro145clw phage is a promising antimicrobial agent that can be used to control E. coli O145 in adverse pH and temperature conditions.

Scope This study aims to elucidate the mechanisms of the anthocyanin malvidin 3-glucoside (MV) in alleviating gut dysbiosis using a murine colitis model induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Methods and results The effect of MV on the structure and function of the colon microbiome and microbial metabolism is evaluated using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, global metabolomics, and a network algorithm based on the random-matrix theory. MV ingestion improved histopathological scores and increased IL10 expression in the colon mucosa of colitis mice. While DSS has a profound effect on the gut microbiome and significantly decreases both microbial richness and evenness, MV further reduces evenness but promotes microbial interactions and restores the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio repressed by DSS. Moreover, MV reduces the abundance of pathogenic bacteria, such as Ruminococcus gnavus, in colitis mice and has a strong modulatory effect on microbial co-occurrence patterns and gut metabolites. In addition, MV reverses several key inflammatory mediators, including sphingolipid metabolites, from elevated levels in DSS colitis mice. As a bioactive ingredient, MV exerts its effect on the gut microbiome in a mechanism that differs from the whole blueberry. Conclusion MV ingestion ameliorates intestinal inflammation by modulating colon epithelium integrity, gut microbiome, and key inflammatory mediators.

Detecting microbial interactions is essential to the understanding of the structure and function of the gut microbiome. In this study, microbial co-occurrence patterns were inferred using a random matrix theory based approach in the gut microbiome of mice in response to chondroitin sulfate disaccharide (CSD) under healthy and stressed conditions. The exercise stress disrupted the network composition and microbial co-occurrence patterns. Thirty-four Operational Taxonomic Units (OTU) were identified as module hubs and connectors, likely acting as generalists in the microbial community. Mucispirillum schaedleri acted as a connector in the stressed network in response to CSD supplement and may play a key role in bridging intimate interactions between the host and its microbiome. Several modules correlated with physiological parameters were detected. For example, Modules M02 (under stress) and S05 (stress + CSD) were strongly correlated with blood urea nitrogen levels (r = 0.90 and &minus, 0.75, respectively). A positive correlation between node connectivity of the OTUs assigned to Proteobacteria with superoxide dismutase activities under stress (r = 0.57, p &lt, 0.05) provided further evidence that Proteobacteria can be developed as a potential pathological marker. Our findings provided novel insights into gut microbial interactions and may facilitate future endeavor in microbial community engineering.

Electrospinning is a complex process that produces fibers with diameters on the micrometer or nano-scale from an electrified jet of a polymer solution. The objective of this study was to create electrospun fibers for food use from aqueous solutions of calcium (CaCAS) or sodium caseinate (NaCAS). Fibers were not formed from electrospinning of solutions of either caseinate (CAS) at 50°C, but were formed from blends of either CAS solution with aqueous solutions of the food-grade polysaccharide, pullulan (PUL), when using mass ratios from 2:1 to 1:4 of PUL/CAS. The CAS in the spinning solutions ranged from 3 to 15% (wt/wt) and the PUL ranged from 5 to 15% (wt/wt). The PUL/CaCAS 1:2 fibers showed the lowest fiber diameter sizes (FDS) of 172±43nm, as determined by scanning electron microscopy, and were smaller in size than fibers electrospun from 15% (wt/wt) PUL solution. The PUL/NaCAS solutions were more viscous and formed fibers with occasional branching and less uniform FDS at higher NaCAS contents. Reductions in NaCAS in these solutions reduced viscosity and improved jet stabilities with consequent improvement in fiber morphology leading to more uniform FDS. Fibers with less defects and more homogeneous FDS were formed from PUL/CaCAS blends with more CaCAS, showing that each CAS interacted differently with PUL and formed the best fibers at different solution conditions. Calcium bridging may also underlie the anomalous behavior of the PUL/CaCAS blends by forming crosslinks with the phosphoserine residues, further enabling chain entanglements for fiber formation. The PUL/NaCAS fibers tended to be larger than the PUL/CaCAS fibers, which may also be due to other factors such as solution surface tension and conductivity, which also affect fiber quality and size. The shear viscosities at 100 s −1 of the solutions producing fibers were within the range of 0.07 to 0.16 Pa/s, with the smallest standard deviations in FDS noted for solutions with viscosities within about 25% that of PUL. This is the first example of caseinate fibers prepared using a food-grade carrier rendering a product with potential use in food and packaging applications.