Combined effect of glyphosate, saccharin and sodium benzoate on the gut microbiota of rats

Effects of glyphosate exposure on intestinal microbiota, metabolism and microstructure: a systematic review

Glyphosate is the most commercialized herbicide in Brazil and worldwide, and this has become a worrying scenario in recent years. In 2015 glyphosate was classified as potentially carcinogenic by the World Health Organization, which opened avenues for numerous debates about its safe use regarding non-target species' health, including humans. This review aimed to observe the impacts of glyphosate and its formulations on the gut microbiota, as well as on the gut microstructure and animal metabolism. A systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA recommendations, and the search for original articles was performed in Pubmed/Medline, Scopus and Web of Science databases. The risk of bias in the studies was assessed using the SYRCLE strategy. Our findings revealed that glyphosate and its formulations are able to induce intestinal dysbiosis by altering bacterial metabolism, intestinal permeability, and mucus secretion, as well as causing damage to the microvilli and the intestinal lumen. Additionally, immunological, enzymatic and genetic changes were also observed in the animal models. At the metabolic level, damage was observed in lipid and energy metabolism, the circulatory system, cofactor and vitamin metabolism, and replication, repair, and translation processes. In this context, we pointed out that the studies revealed that these alterations, caused by glyphosate-based herbicides, can lead to intestinal and systemic diseases, such as Crohn's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

The effect of polystyrene foam in different doses on the blood parameters and relative mass of internal organs of white mice

Due to their durability, versatility and economy, plastic products are widely used in all spheres of human life. Despite the inertness of polymers, recent studies show the ability of microplastic to overcome natural tissue barriers, accumulate in the animal’s body, affect metabolism and change the intestinal microbiota, negatively affecting it. In a 42-day experiment, changes in the internal organs’ relative mass, blood biochemical and morphological parameters of white mice were established under the influence of different doses of polystyrene foam in their diet. Four groups of white mice consumed crushed polystyrene foam particles (10%, 1% and 0.1% by weight of the feed, control group without the addition of polystyrene foam). At the end of the experiment, the morphofunctional state of the internal organs was determined by the organ mass index and blood biochemical parameters. Adding crushed polystyrene foam to the feed in an amount of 1% causes a significant decrease in the mass index of the heart and stomach, 10% – only the heart, and 0.1% – does not affect this indicator. Polystyrene foam had a significant effect on blood biochemical parameters, regardless of the dose, causing an increase in the activity of aspartate aminotransferase against the background of a decrease in the activity of alkaline phosphatase. The content of total bilirubin, urea, urea nitrogen and cholesterol decreased, and the concentration of creatinine and total protein increased (due to the albumin fraction). The use of crushed polystyrene foam in mice did not cause significant changes in the blood morphological composition, except for a dose-dependent increase in the number of monocytes. In the future, it is planned to determine histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical changes in the organs of laboratory animals under the influence of plastic in a laboratory experiment.

Effects of Origanum vulgare and Scutellaria baicalensis on the Physiological Activity and Biochemical Parameters of the Blood in Rats on a High-Fat Diet

The pharmacological effects of medicinal plants play a primary role in the mild correction of body weight in humans and animals, reducing the accumulation of fat in their bodies during a state of obesity. Origanum vulgare L. and Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi are widely used as food additives and medicinal plants, but their comprehensive physiological evaluation in model animals in a state of obesity has not been carried out. In a 30-day laboratory experiment on male rats which had developed obesity through a hypercaloric diet, the effects of adding the dry crushed grass O. vulgare or dry crushed roots of S. baicalensis to their feed was evaluated. During the experiment, the rats fed with O. vulgare increased in body weight to only 105.5% of their initial weight, while the body weight of the control group increased to 111.5%, and that of animals fed on S. baicalensis increased to 124.0% of their initial body weight. The average daily increase in the rats’ body weight when O. vulgare was added to their diet decreased to 205 mg/day, and when S. baicalensis was added, on the contrary, it increased to 1417 mg/day, compared to 700 mg/day among the control group. Under the influence of O. vulgare, the lipid metabolism of the rats normalized: the atherogenic index decreased to 33.7%, compared with the values of the control group, due to an increase in the concentration of high-density lipoproteins from cholesterol. The concentration of triglycerides decreased, and the concentration of glucose decreased. The roots of S. baicalensis being added into the diet of rats increased the activity of alkaline phosphatase and decreased the concentration of urea. The atherogenic index also decreased (by up to 35.5% in the control group) and the concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased, while the concentrations of triglycerides and glucose decreased. The physical activity of the rats showed a slight tendency to decrease when both O. vulgare and S. baicalensis were added to their diet. Both plant species contributed to a decrease in the emotional status of animals, which was most pronounced when the O. vulgare grass was added to the feed. The results of the study demonstrate the potential of the use of O. vulgare and S. baicalensis as herbal supplementations for the correction of hyperlipidemia and type-2 diabetes mellitus in overweight patients.

Food Additives Associated with Gut Microbiota Alterations in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Friends or Enemies?

During the 21st century, the incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is rising globally. Despite the pathogenesis of IBD remaining largely unclear, the interactions between environmental exposure, host genetics and immune response contribute to the occurrence and development of this disease. Growing evidence implicates that food additives might be closely related to IBD, but the involved molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood. Food additives may be categorized as distinct types in accordance with their function and property, including artificial sweeteners, preservatives, food colorant, emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners and so on. Various kinds of food additives play a role in modifying the interaction between gut microbiota and intestinal inflammation. Therefore, this review comprehensively synthesizes the current evidence on the interplay between different food additives and gut microbiome alterations, and further elucidates the potential mechanisms of food additives–associated microbiota changes involved in IBD.

Effect of Salvia officinalis and S. sclarea on rats with a high-fat hypercaloric diet

Phytotherapy for the correction of excess body weight is widely used. However, a comprehensive study of herbal preparations on the organism of model animals has been carried out only for a few plant species. Supplementing the diet of rats with closely related sage species (Salvia officinalis L. and S. sclarea L.) against the background of high-fat hypercaloric diet triggered multidirectional changes in their metabolism. The addition of crushed dry shoots of S. officinalis to the diet of animals led to a sharp increase in their body weight (up to 130.8% of the initial one in 30 days of the experiment). The body weight of the rats treated with S. sclarea for 30 days increased only up to 103.8% of their initial weight and was lower than in the control group. Addition of S. officinalis caused an increase in daily weight gain up to 253.1% of the control group, and S. sclarea – its decrease to 27.8% of the daily weight gain in the control group. In the S. officinalis group, the relative weight of the brain, spleen, and thymus decreased, while in the S. sclarea group, the relative weight of the thymus decreased and that of the colon increased. Under the influence of S. officinalis, the concentration of urea, total bilirubin, and triglycerides in the blood plasma of male rats decreased and the concentration of total protein and the activity of alkaline phosphatase increased. While consuming S. sclarea shoots, there was an increase of alkaline phosphatase activity in the rats’ blood, but atherogenic index (23.1% of the level of the control group) sharply dropped due to an increase in the concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (286.9% of the control) and a decrease in the concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (67.7% of control). In rats feeding on S. sclarea shoots, we observed a decrease in the concentration of triglycerides in the blood (39.9% of the control), a decrease in the activity of gamma-glutamyl transferase (62.8%), and an increase in the Ca/P ratio (132.5% of the control group). No significant changes were observed in CBC and WBC differential of male rats when eating S. officinalis and S. sclarea shoots. According to the results of the open field test, the physical and orientational activity of male rats under the influence of S. officinalis significantly decreased by the end of the experiment. Emotional status of rats, on the contrary, decreased when they ate dry crushed shoots of S. sclarea in the composition of the food. Thus, excess body weight of rats in the conditions of hypercaloric diet led to more pronounced deviations from the norm while consuming dry crushed shoots of S. officinalis. The addition of S. sclarea dry crushed shoots to the animals’ diet normalized the body weight in comparison with the control group, reduced the negative manifestations of obesity at the biochemical and organismal levels. In this regard, the substances that contains S. sclarea should be carefully studied for anti-atherosclerotic activity, and tea supplemented with S. sclarea shoots can be recommended as a corrective supplement in the diet of overweight people.

Influence of Lavandula angustifolia, Melissa officinalis and Vitex angus-castus on the organism of rats fed with excessive fat-containing diet

Plant food additives are becoming more and more popular and broadly applied products, though the information on risks they poses to the organism is limited and contradictive. Obesity and overeating are some of the commonest health issues around the world, and people are increasingly consuming workability-enhancing preparations as a simple and fast method of weight control. The plant-based preparations are considered less harmful than the synthetic chemical ones. Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Melissa officinalis L. and Vitex angus-castus L. are broadly used as food additives and medicinal plants, despite the fact that their complex physiological assessment on model animals in the conditions of obesity has not yet been performed. We carried out a 30-day experiment on white male rats. All the animals were given high-fat diet, and the experimental animals, in addition to this diet, received 5% crumbled dry herbs of L. angustifolia, M. officinalis or V. angus-castus. Taking into account the overall amount of consumed food, the mean daily gain in body weight; at the end of the experiment, we determined the index of the weight of the internal organs, biochemical and morphological blood parameters. At the beginning and the end of the experiment, the rats were examined for motor and orienting activities, and emotional status. Rats on high-fat diet gained up to 112% body weight by the end of the experiment, while rats that had received V. angus-castus gained up to 119%, M. officinalis – 135%, L. angustifolia – 139%, compared with the initial body weight. Addition of medicinal plants to the diet led to increase in average daily weight increment, significantly and reliably after consuming lavender and lemon balm, less significantly and unreliably after eating Vitex. L. angustifolia and M. officinalis reduced the relative brain weight, and ingestion of L. angustifolia and M. officinalis caused notable decrease in the relative mass of the thymus (down to 58% and 47% of the relative weight of thymus in animals of the control group respectively). Also, these plants decreased the motor and orienting activities of the rats by the end of the experiment. As for the biochemical parameters of blood, the activity of alkaline phosphatase significantly increased to 406% following consumption of Melissa, to 350% after consuming lavender, and to 406% after Vitex, compared to the control group. Furthermore, all the groups were observed to have increased AST and ALT activities. Intake of lavender led to increases in cholesterol (to 125%) and LDL cholesterol (to 228%), whereas the groups that consumed lemon balm were observed to have decreases in urea nitrogen (to 79%), totalbilirubin (to 63%) and triglycerides (to 63%). Addition of Vitex led to increase in the index of aterogenecity against the background of notable fall in HDL cholesterol (to 52% of the control group). The medicinal plants also contributed to the normalization of the glucose level. Morphological analysis of blood revealed no significant changes, except heightened content of monocytes in blood, which is characteristic of all groups, including the control. Effects of L. angustifolia, M. officinalis and V. angus-castus on the organism of rats on excessive-fat diet require additional histological, histochemical and immunological surveys.

Effect of succinic acid on the organism of mice and their intestinal microbiota against the background of excessive fat consumption

Succinic acid and its salts (succinates) positively affect the oxygenation of the internal environment, stabilize the structure and functional activity of mitochondria, and normalize the ion metabolism in the cell. Separate clinical studies and experimental surveys confirmed that having low toxicity succinic acid has well-manifested antioxidant, immunostimulating, adaptogenic properties. In this study, we determined the influence of succinic acid on the organism of laboratory animals against the backround of high-fat diet: the changes in body weight, indices of the mass of the internal organs, blood parameters and the changes in the intestinal microbiota were determined. For the experiment, we formed three experimental and three control groups of male white mice. The animals of the control group received 0.5% solution of succinic acid instead of water. In the experiment, we determined that succinic acid has no effect on the intensity of growth of weight of young mice against the background of excessive fat in their diet. Excessive consumption of fat by male mice leads to mainly disorders in the functioning of the liver, excretory and the immune systems. High-fat diet of mice is accompanied by impaired hepatic function, manifested in sharp hypoproteinemia due to globulins, increase in the activity of hepatic enzymes against the background of reduced activity of alkaline phosphatase, increase in the level of bilirubin, and decrease in glucose. Excess of fat in the diet leads to malfunctioning of the excretory system, manifested in the reduced index of kidneys’ weight, high content of creatinine and reduced level of urea in the blood. Addition of succinic acid has a positive effect on the functional condition of the liver and the kidneys, especially noticeable during long-term intake. High-fat diet causes disorders in the functioning of the organs of blood circulation and immune protection, accompanied by decrease in the relative mass of the thymus and spleen, low content of hemoglobin and the number of erythrocytes, but has no significant effect on the content of other cellular elements in the blood. By the middle of the experiment, succinic acid had exacerbated these processes compared to the control, but by the end of the experiment, by contrast, these processes were alleviated. Addition of the succinic acid to high-fat diet contributed to the change in the quantitative composition of the main representatives of the obligatory microbiota (Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp. and typical Escherichia coli) in the laboratory animals. Such changes in the intestinal microbiota may lead to such consequences as reproduction of the facultative microflora, and, thus, development of various diseases.

Plausible Biological Interactions of Low- and Non-Calorie Sweeteners with the Intestinal Microbiota: An Update of Recent Studies

Sweeteners that are a hundred thousand times sweeter than sucrose are being consumed as sugar substitutes. The effects of sweeteners on gut microbiota composition have not been completely elucidated yet, and numerous gaps related to the effects of nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) on health still remain. The NNS aspartame and acesulfame-K do not interact with the colonic microbiota, and, as a result, potentially expected shifts in the gut microbiota are relatively limited, although acesulfame-K intake increases Firmicutes and depletes Akkermansia muciniphila populations. On the other hand, saccharin and sucralose provoke changes in the gut microbiota populations, while no health effects, either positive or negative, have been described; hence, further studies are needed to clarify these observations. Steviol glycosides might directly interact with the intestinal microbiota and need bacteria for their metabolization, thus they could potentially alter the bacterial population. Finally, the effects of polyols, which are sugar alcohols that can reach the colonic microbiota, are not completely understood; polyols have some prebiotics properties, with laxative effects, especially in patients with inflammatory bowel syndrome. In this review, we aimed to update the current evidence about sweeteners' effects on and their plausible biological interactions with the gut microbiota.

Oxidatively modified proteins in kidneys of rats fed with glyphosate-resistant genetically modified soybean and the herbicide Roundup

Genetic technologies have become a tool for achieving the desired properties of plant crops instead of traditional breeding in recent decades. They consist in artificial editing of a plant genome (genetic modification) by inserting the genes encoding desired features from the DNA of one organism in another, often unrelated, species. One of the most popular crops is soybean containing up to 38–42% of proteins in its seeds, and its most common type is GTS 40-3-2 (Monsanto Canada Inc.) line of transgenic soybean. The genetically modified soybean "Roundup Ready" is resistant to the action of herbicide "Roundup" (it continues to grow when it is cultivated with this herbicide). Therefore, the study of individual and combined effects of both factors on the free radical oxidation processes in biomolecules is very relevant. Experimental research was performed on 4-month Wistar rats to study the long-term effects of feeding with genetically modified soybean and herbicide "Roundup", both separately and together, on the rat kidneys. The results of the study showed that after 12 months of feeding with genetically modified soybean treated with herbicide "Roundup" (IV group) and receiving the herbicide with drinkable water (V group), there was an increase in the level of carbonyl derivatives in the rat kidney homogenates in the first (F0) and in subsequent generations (F1, F2) of rats. The research results showed that the highest level of carbonyl derivatives was noted in the kidneys of the third generation of rats. Along with the increase in oxidatively modified proteins in the rat kidney homogenates, there was a decrease in the content of sulfhydryl groups and proteolytic enzymes in the IV and V groups, the lowest level was observed in the third generation. The use of the same transgenic soybean variety not treated with any herbicide did not lead to an increase in the level of carbonyl derivatives and a decrease in the content of sulfhydryl groups compared to control group rats. Thus, the obtained experimental data indicate that both feeding with the genetically modified soybean treated with the herbicide and receiving the herbicide "Roundup" with drinkable water lead to the initiation of free radical processes in the kidneys of rats of all three generations and imbalance of the oxidant–antioxidant system, most notably in the third generation of rats. Such research results indicate the negative effects of the investigated factors and indicate that the herbicide "Roundup" may be accumulated in the seeds of transgenic soybean and also it may increase the oxidative modification of proteins in the rat kidneys. Hence, it is necessary to carry out a detailed study of the effects of these factors on histochemical changes in the kidney and liver structure and an investigation of antioxidant enzyme activity in these organs.