Changes in polyphenol fractions and bacterial composition after in vitrofermentation of apple peel polyphenol by gut microbiota

The changes in polyphenol fractions after in vitro fermentation of apple peel polyphenol (APP) by gut microbiota as well as the effects of APP on the growth, pH value, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production and intestinal flora composition of gut microbiota fermentation were firstly explored in this study. The relative abundance of Lactobacillus in the APP group was 49.55% with an increment of 49.40% compared with the blank group, while that of Bifidobacterium was 13.32%. Moreover, the flora produced 37.093 ± 0.478 mM of SCFAs including acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid and valeric acid during the process of fermentation, thus reduced the environmental pH value. In addition, polyphenol fractions in APP were altered by gut microbiota fermentation to some extent, for example, glycosides were hydrolysed to aglycones. These findings suggested APP as a potential prebiotic agent to alleviate the disorder of intestinal flora.     

Designing amorphous formulations of polyphenols with naringin by spray-drying for enhanced solubility and permeability

Naringin (NAR), a major flavanone (FVA) glycoside, is a component of food mainly obtained from grapefruit. We used NAR as a food additive to improve the solubility and permeability of hydrophobic polyphenols used as supplements in the food industry. The spray-dried particles (SDPs) of NAR alone show an amorphous state with a glass transition temperature (T_g) at 93.2 °C. SDPs of hydrophobic polyphenols, such as flavone (FVO), quercetin (QCT), naringenin (NRG), and resveratrol (RVT) were prepared by adding varying amounts of NAR. All SDPs of hydrophobic polyphenols with added NAR were in an amorphous state with a single T_g, but SDPs of hydrophobic polyphenols without added NAR showed diffraction peaks derived from each crystal. The SDPs with NAR could keep an amorphous state after storage at a high humidity condition for one month, except for SDPs of RVT/NAR. SDPs with NAR enhanced the solubility of hydrophobic polyphenols, especially NRG solubility, which was enhanced more than 9 times compared to NRG crystal. The enhanced solubility resulted in the increased membrane permeability of NRG. The antioxidant effect of the hydrophobic NRG was also enhanced by the synergetic effect of NAR. The findings demonstrated that NAR could be used as a food additive to enhance the solubility and membrane permeability of hydrophobic polyphenols.     

Acceptive Immunity: The Role of Fucosylated Glycans in Human Host–Microbiome Interactions

The growth in the number of chronic non-communicable diseases in the second half of the past century and in the first two decades of the new century is largely due to the disruption of the relationship between the human body and its symbiotic microbiota, and not pathogens. The interaction of the human immune system with symbionts is not accompanied by inflammation, but is a physiological norm. This is achieved via microbiota control by the immune system through a complex balance of pro-inflammatory and suppressive responses, and only a disturbance of this balance can trigger pathophysiological mechanisms. This review discusses the establishment of homeostatic relationships during immune system development and intestinal bacterial colonization through the interaction of milk glycans, mucins, and secretory immunoglobulins. In particular, the role of fucose and fucosylated glycans in the mechanism of interactions between host epithelial and immune cells is discussed.     

Plasticity of Intestinal Epithelium: Stem Cell Niches and Regulatory Signals

The discovery of Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells (ISCs) triggered a breakthrough in the field of ISC research. Lgr5+ ISCs maintain the homeostasis of the intestinal epithelium in the steady state, while these cells are susceptible to epithelial damage induced by chemicals, pathogens, or irradiation. During the regeneration process of the intestinal epithelium, more quiescent +4 stem cells and short-lived transit-amplifying (TA) progenitor cells residing above Lgr5+ ISCs undergo dedifferentiation and act as stem-like cells. In addition, several recent reports have shown that a subset of terminally differentiated cells, including Paneth cells, tuft cells, or enteroendocrine cells, may also have some degree of plasticity in specific situations. The function of ISCs is maintained by the neighboring stem cell niches, which strictly regulate the key signal pathways in ISCs. In addition, various inflammatory cytokines play critical roles in intestinal regeneration and stem cell functions following epithelial injury. Here, we summarize the current understanding of ISCs and their niches, review recent findings regarding cellular plasticity and its regulatory mechanism, and discuss how inflammatory cytokines contribute to epithelial regeneration.     

系统性硬化症与肠道菌群的关系

肠道菌群对人类健康和疾病有着深远影响。不仅肠道菌群能影响宿主免疫系统发育,免疫系统本身也能改变肠道菌群。目前发现肠道菌群参与了多种自身免疫性疾病。研究发现,系统性硬化症(systemic sclerosis,SSc)患者肠道菌群紊乱较常见,胃肠道易受累,且其中一些特定菌属与SSc患者胃肠道受累严重程度相关。本文对SSc患者肠道菌群变化特点、肠道菌群与SSc消化系统运动障碍和纤维化的关系以及治疗方案等方面进行系统阐述。     

通过RRLC-Q-TOF MS和UPLC-QQQ MS分析原人参三醇型皂苷在人肠道菌群中的代谢产物

通过高分离度快速液相色谱-四极杆飞行时间质谱(RRLC-Q-TOF MS)和超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱(UPLC-QQQ MS)法对原人参三醇型皂苷Re、Rg 1、Rg 2、Rh 1、Rf、F 1、R 1在人肠道菌群中的转化产物进行定性、定量分析,确定原人参三醇型皂苷的代谢产物、转化途径和60 h时的转化率。结果表明,人参皂苷Re的转化产物为人参皂苷Rg 1、Rg 2、Rh 1、F 1和PPT,转化率为91%;人参皂苷Rg 1的转化产物为人参皂苷Rh 1、F 1和PPT,转化率为80%;人参皂苷Rg 2的转化产物为人参皂苷Rh 1和PPT,转化率为73%;人参皂苷Rh 1和F 1主要通过PPT代谢,转化率分别为82%和81%;人参皂苷Rf的转化产物为人参皂苷Rh 1和PPT,转化率为89%;三七皂苷R 1的转化产物为人参皂苷Rg 1、R 2、Rh 1和PPT,转化率为79%。原人参三醇型皂苷类成分可被人肠道菌群代谢,主要通过丢失糖残基形成转化产物,而次级皂苷和苷元是人参在体内发挥药理作用的物质基础。     

Metagenomic analysis revealed the individualized shift in ileal microbiome of neonatal calves in response to delaying the first colostrum feeding

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of colostrum feeding time on the ileal microbiome of neonatal calves. In this study, 22 male Holstein calves were randomly assigned to different colostrum feeding time treatments: after birth (at 45 min, n = 7); at 6 h after birth (n = 8); and at 12 h after birth (TRT12h; n = 7). At 51 h after birth, calves were killed and ileum digesta was collected for microbiome analysis using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes, and viruses were identified from the ileum microbiome. For the bacteriome, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the predominant phyla, and Escherichia, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus were the 3 most abundant genera. For the archaeal community, Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota were the 2 major phyla, and Methanosarcina, Methanobrevibacter, and Methanocorpusculum were the 3 most abundant genera. In total, 116 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were identified from the ileal microbiome, with “biosynthesis of vancomycin group antibiotics,” “biosynthesis of ansamycins,” “valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis,” “ribosome,” and “d-alanine metabolism” as the top 5 functions. When the ileal microbiomes were compared among the 3 treatments, the relative abundance of Enterococcus was higher in TRT12h calves, suggesting that calves may have a higher abundance of opportunistic pathogens when the feeding of colostrum is delayed for 12 h. Moreover, among all KEGG pathways, the enriched “taurine and hypotaurine metabolism” (KO00430) pathway was identified in the ileal microbiome of TRT12h calves; however, future studies are needed to understand the effect on the host. Additionally, 2 distinct ileal microbial profiles were identified across all samples, indicating that that host factors may play a significant role in driving varied microbiome changes in response to colostrum feeding time. Whether such microbiome shifts affect long-term gut function and calf performance warrants future studies.