The gut microbiota and human health with an emphasis on the use of microencapsulated bacterial cells

Nutritional genomics for the characterization of the effect of bioactive molecules in lipid metabolism and related pathways

Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Thus, investigators have focused their efforts on gaining insight into understanding the mechanisms involved in the development and evolution of these diseases. In the past decade, and with the contribution of the -omics technologies, strong evidence has supported an essential role of gene-nutrient interactions in these processes, pointing at natural bioactive molecules as promising complementary agents that are useful in preventing or mitigating these diseases. In addition, alterations in lipid metabolism have recently gained strong interest since they have been described as a common event required for the progression of both diseases. In the present review, we give an overview of lipid metabolism, mainly focusing on lipoprotein metabolism and the mechanisms controlling lipid homeostasis. In addition, we review the modulation of lipid metabolism by bioactive molecules, highlighting their potential use as therapeutic agents in preventing, and treating chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Finally, we report the usefulness of the -omics technologies in nutritional research, focusing on recent findings, within nutritional genomics, in the interaction of bioactive components from foods with several genes that are involved in the development and progression of these diseases.

The importance of the gut microbiota after bariatric surgery

The gut microbiota is recognized to have an important role in energy storage and the subsequent development of obesity. To date, bariatric surgery (indicated for severe obesity) represents the only treatment that enables substantial and sustained weight loss. Bariatric surgery is also a good model to study not only the pathophysiology of obesity and its related diseases but also the mechanisms involved in their improvement after weight reduction. Scarce data from humans and animal models have demonstrated that gut microbiota composition is modified after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), suggesting that weight reduction could affect gut microbiota composition. However, weight loss might not be the only factor responsible for those modifications. Indeed, bariatric surgery not only improves hormonal and inflammatory status, but also induces numerous changes in the digestive tract that might account for the observed modifications of microbiota ecology. In future bariatric surgery studies in humans or mice, these major surgery-induced modifications will need to be taken into account when analyzing the link between gut microbiota composition, obesity, its complications and their improvement after bariatric surgery. This Review outlines the potential mechanisms by which the major changes in the digestive tract after bariatric surgery can affect the gut microbiota.

The microbiome of the soft palate of swine

The tonsil of the soft palate in pigs is a secondary lymphoid tissue that provides a first line of defense against foreign antigens entering by the mouth or nares. It has been known for a long time to be the site of colonization of important swine and zoonotic bacterial pathogens. Initially our understanding of microbes present at this site came from culture-based studies. Very recently, sequence-based approaches have been used to identify the core microbiome of the swine tonsil. Although animal to animal and herd to herd variation was detected in these studies, >90 of the organisms detected belonged to the phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Members of the family Pasteurellaceae appeared to be predominate in the tonsil; however, the relative proportions of Actinobacillus, Haemophilus, and Pasteurella varied. Members of the families Moraxellaceae, Fusobacteriaceae, Veillonellaceae, and Neisseriaceae were also seen as frequent residents of the tonsil.

Dextran sodium sulphate colitis mouse model: traps and tricks

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex multifactorial disease of unknown etiology. Thus, dozens of different animal models of IBD have been developed in past decades. Animal models of IBD are valuable and indispensable tools that provide a wide range of options for investigating involvement of various factors into the pathogenesis of IBD and to evaluate different therapeutic options. However, the dextran sulphate sodium (DSS-) induced colitis model has some advantages when compared to other animal models of colitis. It is well appreciated and widely used model of inflammatory bowel disease because of its simplicity. It has many similarities to human IBD, which are mentioned in the paper. In spite of its simplicity and wide applicability, there are also traps that need to be taken into account when using DSS model. As demonstrated in the present paper, various factors may affect susceptibility to DSS-induced lesions and modify results.

Evaluation of safety and tolerance of microencapsulated Lactobacillus reuteri NCIMB 30242 in a yogurt formulation: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study

Probiotic organisms have shown promise in treating diseases. Previously, we have reported on the efficacy of microencapsulated Lactobacillus reuteri NCIMB 30242 in a yogurt formulation at lowering serum cholesterol levels in otherwise healthy hypercholesterolemic adults. This study investigates the safety and toxicology of oral ingestion of microencapsulated L. reuteri NCIMB 30242 in a yogurt formulation. A randomized group of 120 subjects received a dose of 5 × 10(10) CFU microencapsulated L. reuteri NCIMB 30242 in yogurt (n=59) or placebo yogurt (n=61) twice/day for 6 weeks. Clinical chemistry and hematological parameters of safety were analyzed. Fecal samples were collected at these time points for the analysis of deconjugated bile acids. The frequency, duration and intensity of adverse events (AEs) and clinical significance of safety parameters were recorded for both groups. No clinically significant differences between the probiotic yogurt and placebo yogurt treated groups were detected in either the blood clinical chemistry or hematology results and there was no significant increase in fecal deconjugated bile acids (P>0.05) between treated and control groups. The frequency and intensity of AEs was similar in the two groups. These results demonstrate the safe use of this formulation in food.

Probiotic Ferulic Acid Esterase Active Lactobacillus fermentum NCIMB 5221 APA Microcapsules for Oral Delivery: Preparation and in Vitro Characterization

Probiotics possess potential therapeutic and preventative effects for various diseases and metabolic disorders. One important limitation for the oral delivery of probiotics is the harsh conditions of the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) which challenge bacterial viability and activity. One proposed method to surpass this obstacle is the use of microencapsulation to improve the delivery of bacterial cells to the lower GIT. The aim of this study is to use alginate-poly-L-lysine-alginate (APA) microcapsules to encapsulate Lactobacillus fermentum NCIMB 5221 and characterize its enzymatic activity and viability through a simulated GIT. This specific strain, in previous research, was characterized for its inherent ferulic acid esterase (FAE) activity which could prove beneficial in the development of a therapeutic for the treatment and prevention of cancers and metabolic disorders. Our findings demonstrate that the APA microcapsule does not slow the mass transfer of substrate into and that of the FA product out of the microcapsule, while also not impairing bacterial cell viability. The use of simulated gastrointestinal conditions led to a significant 2.5 log difference in viability between the free (1.10 × 104 ± 1.00 × 103 cfu/mL) and the microencapsulated (5.50 × 106 ± 1.00 × 105 cfu/mL) L. fermentum NCIMB 5221 following exposure. The work presented here suggests that APA microencapsulation can be used as an effective oral delivery method for L. fermentum NCIMB 5221, a FAE-active probiotic strain.