Project description:Dietary lipids favor the growth of the pathobiont Bilophila wadsworthia, but the relevance of this expansion in metabolic syndrome pathogenesis remains unknown. Here, we showed that B. wadsworthia synergize with HFD to promote higher inflammation, intestinal barrier dysfunction and bile acid dysmetabolism, leading to higher glucose dysmetabolism and hepatic steatosis. Host-microbiota transcriptomics analysis unraveled pathways, particularly butanoate metabolism, which may underlie the metabolic effects mediated by B. wadsworthia. Pharmacological suppression of B. wadsworthia-associated inflammation unmasked the bacterium’s intrinsic capacity to induce a negative impact on glycemic control and hepatic function. Finally, the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM I-3690 was able to limit B. wadsworthia-induced immune and metabolic impairment by limiting its expansion, reducing inflammation and reinforcing intestinal barrier. Our results support a new avenue for interventions against western diet-driven inflammatory and metabolic diseases.
Project description:Dietary lipids favor the growth of the pathobiont Bilophila wadsworthia, but the relevance of this expansion in metabolic syndrome pathogenesis remains unknown. Here, we showed that B. wadsworthia synergize with HFD to promote higher inflammation, intestinal barrier dysfunction and bile acid dysmetabolism, leading to higher glucose dysmetabolism and hepatic steatosis. Host-microbiota transcriptomics analysis unraveled pathways, particularly butanoate metabolism, which may underlie the metabolic effects mediated by B. wadsworthia. Pharmacological suppression of B. wadsworthia-associated inflammation unmasked the bacterium’s intrinsic capacity to induce a negative impact on glycemic control and hepatic function. Finally, the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM I-3690 was able to limit B. wadsworthia-induced immune and metabolic impairment by limiting its expansion, reducing inflammation and reinforcing intestinal barrier. Our results support a new avenue for interventions against western diet-driven inflammatory and metabolic diseases.
Project description:Bilophila wadsworthia is a common inhabitant of the human colon and has been associated with appendicitis and other local sites of inflammation in humans. Challenge-exposure or prevalence studies in laboratory and other animals have not been reported. B. wadsworthia is closely related phylogenetically to Desulfovibrio sp. and Lawsonia intracellularis, which are considered colon pathogens. We developed a PCR specific for B. wadsworthia DNA. Samples of bacterial DNA extracted from the feces of pigs on six farms in Australia and four farms in Venezuela were examined. Specific DNA of B. wadsworthia was detected in the feces of 58 of 161 Australian and 2 of 45 Venezuelan pigs, results comprising 100% of the neonatal pigs, 15% of the weaned grower pigs, and 27% of the adult sows tested. Single-stranded conformational polymorphism analysis of PCR product DNA derived from pigs or from known human strains showed an identical pattern. Histologic examination of the intestines of weaned B. wadsworthia-positive pigs found no or minor specific lesions in the small and large intestines, respectively. B. wadsworthia is apparently a common infection in neonatal pigs, but its prevalence decreases after weaning. The possible role of B. wadsworthia as an infection in animals and in human colons requires further study.