Project description:Colorectal cancer (CRC) is strongly affected by diet, with red and processed meat increasing risk. To understand the role of microbiome in this phenomenon and to identify specific microbiome/metabolomics profiles associated with CRC risk, will be studied: 1) healthy volunteers fed for 3 months with: a high-CRC risk diet (meat-based MBD), a normalized CRC risk diet (MBD plus alpha-tocopherol, MBD-T), a low-CRC risk diet (pesco-vegetarian, PVD). At the beginning and at the end of the intervention, gut microbiome profiles (metagenomics and metabolomics), and CRC biomarkers (genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, peroxidation in faecal water; lipid/glycemic indexes, inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress), 2) Colon carcinogenesis: the same diets will be fed (3 months) to carcinogen-induced rats or to Pirc rats, mutated in Apc, the key gene in CRC; faecal microbiome profiles, will be correlated to carcinogenesis measuring preneoplastic lesions, colon tumours, and faecal and blood CRC biomarkers as in humans; 3) To further elucidate the mechanisms underlying the effect of different microbiomes in determining CRC risk, faeces from rats fed the experimental diets will be transplanted into carcinogen-induced germ-free rats, measuring how microbiome changes correlate with metabolome and disease outcomes. The results will provide fundamental insight in the role of microbiome in determining the effect of the diet, in particular red/processed meat intake, on CRC risk
Project description:Cocaine use disorder represents a public health crisis with no FDA-approved medications for its treatment. A growing body of research has detailed the important connections between the brain and the resident population of bacteria in the gut, the gut microbiome in psychiatric disease models. Acute depletion of gut bacteria results in enhanced reward in a mouse cocaine place preference model, and repletion of bacterially-derived short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolites reverses this effect. However, the role of the gut microbiome and its metabolites in modulating cocaine-seeking behavior after prolonged abstinence is unknown. Given that relapse prevention is the most clinically challenging issue in treating substance use disorders, studies examining the effects of microbiome manipulations in relapse-relevant models are critical. Here, Sprague-Dawley rats received either untreated water or antibiotics to deplete the gut microbiome and its metabolites. Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine and subjected to either within-session threshold testing to evaluate motivation for cocaine or 21 days of abstinence followed by a cue-induced cocaine-seeking task to model relapse behavior. Microbiome depletion did not affect cocaine acquisition on an FR1 schedule. However, microbiome-depleted subjects exhibited significantly enhanced motivation for low dose cocaine on a within-session threshold task. Similarly, microbiome depletion increased cue-induced cocaine-seeking following prolonged abstinence. In the absence of a normal microbiome, repletion of bacterially-derived SCFA metabolites reversed the behavioral and transcriptional changes associated with microbiome depletion. These findings suggest that gut bacteria, via their metabolites, are key regulators of drug-seeking behaviors, positioning the microbiome as a potential translational research target.
2024-05-01 | GSE227980 | GEO
Project description:Microbiome shift of Camel Milk
Project description:Camel milk is widely characterized with regard to caseins and whey proteins. However, in camelids, close to nothing is known about the Milk Fat Globule Membrane (MFGM), the membrane surrounding fat globules in milk. The purpose of this study was thus to identify MFGM proteins from Camelus dromedarius milk. Major MFGM proteins (namely, fatty acid synthase, xanthine oxidase, butyrophilin, lactadherin, and adipophilin) already evidenced in cow milk were identified in camel milk using mass spectrometry. In addition, a 1D-LC-MS/MS approach led us to identify 322 functional groups of proteins associated with the camel Milk Fat Globule Membrane. We hope that these findings will contribute to a better characterization of camel milk and to an improved understanding of lipid droplet formation in the mammary epithelial cell.
Project description:Pancreatic cancer is the 3rd most prevalent cause of cancer related deaths in United states alone, with over 55000 patients being diagnosed in 2019 alone and nearly as many succumbing to it. Late detection, lack of effective therapy and poor understanding of pancreatic cancer systemically contributes to its poor survival statistics. Obesity and high caloric intake linked co-morbidities like type 2 diabetes (T2D) have been attributed as being risk factors for a number of cancers including pancreatic cancer. Studies on gut microbiome has shown that lifestyle factors as well as diet has a huge effect on the microbial flora of the gut. Further, modulation of gut microbiome has been seen to contribute to effects of intensive insulin therapy in mice on high fat diet. In another study, abnormal gut microbiota was reported to contribute to development of diabetes in Db/Db mice. Recent studies indicate that microbiome and microbial dysbiosis plays a role in not only the onset of disease but also in its outcome. In colorectal cancer, Fusobacterium has been reported to promote therapy resistance. Certain intra-tumoral bacteria have also been shown to elicit chemo-resistance by metabolizing anti-cancerous agents. In pancreatic cancer, studies on altered gut microbiome have been relatively recent. Microbial dysbiosis has been observed to be associated with pancreatic tumor progression. Modulation of microbiome has been shown to affect response to anti-PD1 therapy in this disease as well. However, most of the studies in pancreatic cancer and microbiome have remained focused om immune modulation. In the current study, we observed that in a T2D mouse model, the microbiome changed significantly as the hyperglycemia developed in these animals. Our results further showed that, tumors implanted in the T2D mice responded poorly to Gemcitabine/Paclitaxel (Gem/Pac) standard of care compared to those in the control group. A metabolomic reconstruction of the WGS of the gut microbiota further revealed that an enrichment of bacterial population involved in drug metabolism in the T2D group.
Project description:Complex oligosaccharides found in human milk play a vital role in gut microbiome development for the human infant. Bovine milk oligosaccharides (BMO) have similar structures with those derived from human milk, but have not been well studied for their effects on the healthy adult human gut microbiome. Healthy human subjects consumed BMO over two-week periods at two different doses and provided fecal samples. Metatranscriptomics of fecal samples was conducted to determine microbial and host gene expression in response to the supplement. Fecal samples were also analyzed by mass spectrometry to determine levels of undigested BMO. No changes were observed in microbiome activity across all participants. Repeated sampling enabled subject-specific analyses: four of six participants had minor, yet statistically significant, changes in microbial activity. No significant change was observed in the gene expression of host cells in stool. Levels of BMO excreted in feces after supplementation were not significantly different from placebo and were not correlated with dosage or expressed microbial enzyme levels. Collectively, these data suggest that BMO is fully digested in the human gastrointestinal tract prior to stool collection. Participants’ gut microbiomes remained stable but varied between individuals. Additionally, the unaltered host transcriptome provides further evidence for the safety of BMO as a dietary supplement or food ingredient.
Project description:The microbiome plays a significant role in gut brain communication and is linked to several animal and human diseases. Hypertension is characterized by gut dysbiosis, and this study aimed to determine how the gut microbiome differed between male and female normotensive and hypertensive rodents. WKY is a genetic control for spontaneous hypertensive rats or SHR which is well documented to have elevated blood pressure at approximately 8 to 10 weeks. We compared the microbiome of normotensive and hypertensive rodents using a meta-genomics approach.
Project description:Demand for camel milk (CM) is increasing worldwide, due to its high nutritious value and health benefits. In this study, whole CM powders were produced by spray drying (SD) at six inlet temperatures (190°C - 250°C) and by freeze drying (FD). Physicochemical and functional properties of CM powder proteins were investigated. Both treatments had negative effect on casein solubility, while whey proteins remained soluble and slightly increased its solubility with the extent of MR. The CM powders obtained at higher inlet temperatures demonstrated improved antioxidant activity. Secondary structure of whey proteins did not differ among the samples, while surface hydrophobicity of whey proteins was higher in all SD than in FD samples, suggesting only limited denaturation of camel whey proteins at higher inlet temperatures of drying. Thus, the effects of SD under the conditions applied in our study did not decrease camel whey protein solubility, while drying procedure itself regardless of temperature decreased solubility of camel milk caseins. This study provides useful insights for optimization of CM powder production.