Project description:Gut microbiome research is rapidly moving towards the functional characterization of the microbiota by means of shotgun meta-omics. Here, we selected a cohort of healthy subjects from an indigenous and monitored Sardinian population to analyze their gut microbiota using both shotgun metagenomics and shotgun metaproteomics. We found a considerable divergence between genetic potential and functional activity of the human healthy gut microbiota, in spite of a quite comparable taxonomic structure revealed by the two approaches. Investigation of inter-individual variability of taxonomic features revealed Bacteroides and Akkermansia as remarkably conserved and variable in abundance within the population, respectively. Firmicutes-driven butyrogenesis (mainly due to Faecalibacterium spp.) was shown to be the functional activity with the higher expression rate and the lower inter-individual variability in the study cohort, highlighting the key importance of the biosynthesis of this microbial by-product for the gut homeostasis. The taxon-specific contribution to functional activities and metabolic tasks was also examined, giving insights into the peculiar role of several gut microbiota members in carbohydrate metabolism (including polysaccharide degradation, glycan transport, glycolysis and short-chain fatty acid production). In conclusion, our results provide useful indications regarding the main functions actively exerted by the gut microbiota members of a healthy human cohort, and support metaproteomics as a valuable approach to investigate the functional role of the gut microbiota in health and disease.
Project description:Non–alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is high prevalent in worldwide and associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Infection with Opisthorchis viverrini (Ov) infection and consumption of high fat and high fructose (HFF) exacerbates NAFLD to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in hamsters. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect a combination of HFF diet and Ov infection on kidney pathology via alteration of gut microbiome and proteome in hamster.
Project description:Morphine and its pharmacological derivatives are the most prescribed analgesics for moderate to severe pain management. However, chronic use of morphine reduces pathogen clearance and induces bacterial translocation across the gut barrier. The enteric microbiome has been shown to play a critical role in the preservation of the mucosal barrier function and metabolic homeostasis. Here, we show for the first time, using bacterial 16s rDNA sequencing, that chronic morphine treatment significantly alters the gut microbial composition and induces preferential expansion of the gram-positive pathogenic and reduction of bile-deconjugating bacterial strains. A significant reduction in both primary and secondary bile acid levels was seen in the gut, but not in the liver with morphine treatment. Morphine induced microbial dysbiosis and gut barrier disruption was rescued by transplanting placebo-treated microbiota into morphine-treated animals, indicating that microbiome modulation could be exploited as a therapeutic strategy for patients using morphine for pain management. In this study, we establish a link between the two phenomena, namely gut barrier compromise and dysregulated bile acid metabolism. We show for the first time that morphine fosters significant gut microbial dysbiosis and disrupts cholesterol/bile acid metabolism. Changes in the gut microbial composition is strongly correlated to disruption in host inflammatory homeostasis13,14 and in many diseases (e.g. cancer/HIV infection), persistent inflammation is known to aid and promote the progression of the primary morbidity. We show here that chronic morphine, gut microbial dysbiosis, disruption of cholesterol/bile acid metabolism and gut inflammation; have a linear correlation. This opens up the prospect of devising minimally invasive adjunct treatment strategies involving microbiome and bile acid modulation and thus bringing down morphine-mediated inflammation in the host.
Project description:Low cardiac output and kidney congestion are related to cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI), which is one of the most prevalent complications of cardiac surgery. This pathological process may be connected with a great risk of developing chronic kidney disease and mortality. This study aimed to investigate the possible correlations between gut microbiota metabolism and CSA-AKI.
Project description:Controlling the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) at an early stage is critical for reducing disease severity. A cross-sectional study of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients at all stages with S. stercoralis infection found that helminth infection caused gut dysbiosis, which may be involved in CKD progression. Because of the variation of gut microbiome results with helminth infection, the cross-sectional study of 16S rRNA sequencing, therefore, is insufficient to draw valid conclusions and correct the effects of S. stercoralis on the early stages of CKD. Combination with other omics approach is warrant to be better understand the disease.
Project description:Inflammation plays a crucial role in the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) and subsequent chronic kidney disease (CKD) following renal ischemia-reperfusion (IR). It has been demonstrated that metabolites from the gut microbiota can trigger inflammatory responses and modulate renal damage induced by IR. However, the exact driving factors and underlying mechanisms of this process remain unclear. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a choline metabolite derived from the gut, has been observed to increase in AKI and CKD patients. Our study reveals that glycyrrhizic acid (GA) exacerbates IR-induced AKI and subsequent CKD through TMAO. To delve into the underlying mechanisms, we employed single-cell sequencing to construct a molecular map of kidney cells.