Potential probiotics Lactobacillus casei K11 combined with plant extracts reduce markers of type 2 diabetes mellitus in mice

An Update on Prebiotics and on Their Health Effects

Prebiotic compounds were originally defined as "a nondigestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon, and thus improves host health"; however, a significant modulation of the definition was carried out in the consensus panel of The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), and the last definition states that "prebiotics are substrates that are selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit". Health effects of prebiotics compounds attracted the interest of researchers, food companies and Regulatory Agencies, as inferred by the number of articles on Scopus for the keywords "prebiotic" and "health effects", that is ca. 2000, for the period January 2021-January 2024. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to contribute to the debate on these topics by offering an overview of existing knowledge and advances in this field. A literature search was performed for the period 2012-2023 and after the selection of the most relevant items, the attention was focused on seven conditions for which at least 8-10 different studies were found, namely colorectal cancer, neurological or psychiatric conditions, intestinal diseases, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and immune system disorders. In addition, the analysis of the most recent articles through the software VosViewer version 1.6.20 pointed out the existence of five clusters or macro-categories, namely: (i) pathologies; (ii) metabolic condvitions; (iii) structure and use in food; (iv) immunomodulation; (v) effect on gut microbiota.

Gut feelings in the islets: The role of the gut microbiome and the FFA2 and FFA3 receptors for short chain fatty acids on β-cell function and metabolic regulation

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are biosynthesized via fermentation of polysaccharides by gastrointestinal microbiota and have been shown to have wide-reaching effects on almost all tissues, including the pancreatic islets. Historically, the effects of SCFAs have been attributed to their intracellular metabolism and function as energy sources, but the discovery of free fatty acid G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the 2000s suggested that many functional outcomes of SCFAs are receptor-mediated. The SCFA receptors FFA2/GPR43 and FFA3/GPR41 are expressed on β-cells, where they regulate glucose-dependent insulin secretion, making them attractive targets for treatment of diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Here, we provide an update on the current evidence regarding regulation of FFA2/FFA3 receptors by specific probiotic bacterial species within the gut microbiome that synthesize SCFAs. We also review the body of research regarding the FFA2- and FFA3 receptor-specific function of SCFAs on β-cells and discuss the somewhat controversial and opposing findings within these studies.

Positive Effects of α-Lactalbumin in the Management of Symptoms of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

To date, the involvement of α-Lactalbumin (α-LA) in the management of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) refers to its ability to improve intestinal absorption of natural molecules like inositols, overcoming the inositol resistance. However, due to its own aminoacidic building blocks, α-LA is involved in various biological processes that can open new additional applications. A great portion of women with PCOS exhibit gastrointestinal dysbiosis, which is in turn one of the triggering mechanisms of the syndrome. Due to its prebiotic effect, α-LA can recover dysbiosis, also improving the insulin resistance, obesity and intestinal inflammation frequently associated with PCOS. Further observations suggest that altered gut microbiota negatively influence mental wellbeing. Depressive mood and low serotonin levels are indeed common features of women with PCOS. Thanks to its content of tryptophan, which is the precursor of serotonin, and considering the strict link between gut and brain, using α-LA contributes to preserving mental well-being by maintaining high levels of serotonin. In addition, considering women with PCOS seeking pregnancy, both altered microbiota and serotonin levels can induce later consequences in the offspring. Therefore, a deeper knowledge of potential applications of α-LA is required to transition to preclinical and clinical studies extending its therapeutic advantages in PCOS.

The harmful intestinal microbial community accumulates during DKD exacerbation and microbiome-metabolome combined validation in a mouse model

OBJECTIVE

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most prevalent complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) and is associated with gut microbial dysbiosis. We aim to build a diagnostic model to aid clinical practice and uncover a crucial harmful microbial community that contributes to DKD pathogenesis and exacerbation.

DESIGN

A total of 528 fecal samples from 180 DKD patients and 348 non-DKD populations (138 DM and 210 healthy volunteers) from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were recruited and randomly divided into a discovery phase and a validation phase. The gut microbial composition was compared using 16S rRNA sequencing. Then, the 180 DKD patients were stratified into four groups based on clinical stages and underwent gut microbiota analysis. We established DKD mouse models and a healthy fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) model to validate the effects of gut microbiota on DKD and select the potential harmful microbial community. Untargeted metabolome-microbiome combined analysis of mouse models helps decipher the pathogenetic mechanism from a metabolic perspective.

RESULTS

The diversity of the gut microbiome was significantly decreased in DKD patients when compared with that of the non-DKD population and was increased in the patients with more advanced DKD stages. The DKD severity in mice was relieved after healthy gut microbiota reconstruction. The common harmful microbial community was accumulated in the subjects with more severe DKD phenotypes (i.e., DKD and DKD5 patients and DKD mice). The harmful microbial community was positively associated with the serum injurious metabolites (e.g., cholic acid and hippuric acid).

CONCLUSION

The fecal microbial community was altered markedly in DKD. Combining the fecal analysis of both human and animal models selected the accumulated harmful pathogens. Partially recovering healthy gut microbiota can relieve DKD phenotypes via influencing pathogens' effect on DKD mice's metabolism.

Lactobacillus plantarum SHY130 isolated from yak yogurt attenuates hyperglycemia in C57BL/6J mice by regulating the enteroinsular axis

Diabetes, one of the most serious and common chronic metabolic diseases affecting people worldwide in the 21st century, has become a major problem that needs to be addressed urgently. This study was designed to elucidate the anti-diabetic effect of yak yogurt-derived Lactobacillus (L.) plantarum SHY130 on C57BL/6J mice fed high-fat diet and streptozotocin (HFD/STZ), and the potential regulatory mechanisms involved. Mice were divided into 3 groups: normal control, diabetes, and diabetes treated with L. plantarum SHY130 (SHY130). Treatment with L. plantarum SHY130 had a regulatory effect on blood glucose and clearly ameliorated insulin resistance in T2DM mice. L. plantarum SHY130 inhibited the reduction in β-cell mass and α-cell proliferation in the pancreas and increased the expression of the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) receptors GPR43 and GPR41 in the colon of T2DM mice. Furthermore, L. plantarum SHY130 treatment readjusted intestinal flora structure, enhanced the abundance of SCFA-producing bacteria, such as Faecalibaculum, Odoribacter, Alistipes, and increased the levels of SCFAs in diabetic mice. In summary, L. plantarum SHY130 ameliorated hyperglycemia in HFD/STZ-induced diabetic mice by regulating the enteroinsular axis.

Nutrition Strategy and Life Style in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome-Narrative Review

Here we present an extensive narrative review of the broadly understood modifications to the lifestyles of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The PubMed database was analyzed, combining PCOS entries with causes, diseases, diet supplementation, lifestyle, physical activity, and use of herbs. The metabolic pathways leading to disturbances in lipid, carbohydrate, and hormonal metabolism in targeted patients are described. The article refers to sleep disorders, changes in mental health parameters, and causes of oxidative stress and inflammation. These conditions consistently lead to the occurrence of severe diseases in patients suffering from diabetes, the fatty degeneration of internal organs, infertility, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, dysbiosis, and cancer. The modification of lifestyles, diet patterns and proper selection of nutrients, pharmacological and natural supplementation in the form of herbs, and physical activity have been proposed. The progress and consequences of PCOS are largely modifiable and depend on the patient’s approach, although we have to take into account also the genetic determinants.