Bile acid metabolism, bacterial bowel flora and intestinal function following ileal pouch-anal anastomosis in dogs, with reference to the influence of administration of ursodeoxycholic acid

Nanocrystalline Cellulose Cures Constipation via Gut Microbiota Metabolism

Constipation can seriously affect the quality of life and increase the risk of colorectal cancer. The present strategies for constipation therapy have adverse effects, such as causing irreversible intestinal damage and affecting the absorption of nutrients. Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), which is from natural plants, has good biocompatibility and high safety. Herein, we used NCC to treat constipation assessed by the black stool, intestinal tissue sections, and serum biomarkers. We studied the effect of NCC on gut microbiota and discussed the correlation of gut microbiota and metabolites. We evaluated the long-term biosafety of NCC. NCC could effectively treat constipation through gut microbiota metabolism, which required a small dosage and did not affect the organs and intestines. NCC could be used as an alternative to medications and dietary fiber for constipation therapy.

A commercial grain-free diet does not decrease plasma amino acids and taurine status but increases bile acid excretion when fed to Labrador Retrievers

Grain-free diets tend to have greater inclusions of pulses in contrast to grain-based diets. In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement that grain-free diets may be related to the development of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, all dog foods met regulatory minimums for nutrient inclusion recommended by the Association of American Feed Controls Official. In some FDA case reports, but not all, dogs diagnosed with DCM also had low concentrations of plasma or whole blood taurine; thus, we hypothesized that feeding these diets will result in reduced taurine status from baseline measures. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding a grain-free diet to large-breed dogs on taurine status and overall health. Eight Labrador Retrievers (four males and four females; Four Rivers Kennel, MO) were individually housed and fed a commercial complete and balanced grain-free diet (Acana Pork and Squash formula; APS) for 26 wk. Fasted blood samples were collected prior to the start of the trial (baseline; week 0) and at weeks 13 and 26 for analyses of blood chemistry, hematology, plasma amino acids, and whole blood taurine. Urine was collected by free catch at weeks 0 and 26 for taurine and creatinine analyses. Fresh fecal samples were collected at weeks 0 and 26 for bile acid analyses. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure with repeated measures in SAS (v. 9.4). Plasma His, Met, Trp, and taurine and whole blood taurine concentrations increased over the course of the study (P < 0.05). Urinary taurine to creatinine ratio was not affected by diet (P > 0.05). Fecal bile acid excretion increased after 26 wk of feeding APS to dogs. Despite the higher fecal excretion of bile acids, plasma and whole blood taurine increased over the 26-wk feeding study. These data suggest that feeding APS, a grain-free diet, over a 26-wk period improved taurine status in Labrador Retrievers and is not the basis for the incidence of DCM for dogs fed APS. Other factors that may contribute to the etiology of DCM should be explored.

Changes in the faecal bile acid profile in dogs fed dry food vs high content of beef: a pilot study

Background

Dogs are fed various diets, which also include components of animal origin. In humans, a high-fat/low-fibre diet is associated with higher faecal levels of bile acids, which can influence intestinal health. It is unknown how an animal-based diet high in fat and low in fibre influences the faecal bile acid levels and intestinal health in dogs. This study investigated the effects of high intake of minced beef on the faecal bile acid profile in healthy, adult, client-owned dogs (n = 8) in a 7-week trial. Dogs were initially adapted to the same commercial dry food. Thereafter, incremental substitution of the dry food by boiled minced beef over 3 weeks resulted in a diet in which 75% of each dog’s total energy requirement was provided as minced beef during week 5. Dogs were subsequently reintroduced to the dry food for the last 2 weeks of the study. The total taurine and glycine-conjugated bile acids, the primary bile acids chenodeoxycholic acid and cholic acid, and the secondary bile acids lithocholic acid, deoxycholic acid (DCA) and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) were analysed, using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.

Results

The faecal quantities of DCA were significantly higher in dogs fed the high minced beef diet. These levels reversed when dogs were reintroduced to the dry food diet. The faecal levels of UDCA and taurine-conjugated bile acids had also increased in response to the beef diet, but this was only significant when compared to the last dry food period.

Conclusions

These results suggest that an animal-based diet with high-fat/low-fibre content can influence the faecal bile acids levels. The consequences of this for canine colonic health will require further investigation.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13028-018-0383-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

ATX-101 (deoxycholic acid injection) for reduction of submental fat

INTRODUCTION

The shape and contour of the chin and neck play an important role in facial esthetics. As such, excess fat within the submental area (double chin) can negatively affect facial esthetics and body image. Common treatments for submental contouring include invasive procedures such as surgical rejuvenation and targeted liposuction. Energy devices (lasers, radiofrequency, and ultrasound) may be used to improve submental skin laxity while cryolipolysis was recently cleared in the United States for use in the submental area. However, ATX-101 (deoxycholic acid injection) is the only injectable drug approved in the United States and Canada for reduction of submental fat.

AREAS COVERED

The efficacy and safety of ATX-101 have been extensively evaluated in a global clinical development program including multiple Phase I/II studies and four large Phase III trials. Available data from ATX-101 trials are reviewed. Expert commentary: Injectables have been well established for facial rejuvenation. Extending injectable treatment into the chin and neck is a major advance for nonsurgical cosmetic correction. Overall, the evidence supports ATX-101 as a safe and effective, minimally invasive treatment alternative for reduction of submental fat that will provide a major tool for the esthetic physician.

Ursodeoxycholic acid dose-dependently improves liver injury in rats fed a methionine- and choline-deficient diet

AIM

  The data on the beneficial effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are controversial. The difference of opinion is connected with UDCA dosage to be used. Therefore, we evaluated the dose-dependent efficacy of UDCA in experimental NASH.

METHODS

  Male Wistar rats were fed the methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet for 10 weeks. Rats were administrated UDCA (10, 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg bodyweight intragastrically) after 6 weeks of the MCD diet.

RESULTS

  Animals fed the MCD diet developed severe steatohepatitis. Treatment with UDCA dose-dependently decreased liver damage, but only high-dose UDCA (80 mg/kg) significantly diminished ultrastructural changes in addition to preventing steatosis, ballooning and inflammatory changes in the liver. The activities of serum marker enzymes and the content of liver triglyceride and blood glucose were increased in MCD diet-fed rats, but decreased in all the UDCA-treated groups. Serum insulin concentration was decreased whereas the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index did not changed in MCD diet-fed groups. Serum tumor necrosis factor-α content was strongly increased after MCD diet and normalized in the UDCA-treated rats, with the most pronounced effect in the highest dose groups, 40 and 80 mg/kg. The contents of endogenous ethanol in blood and intestinal mucus were increased in MCD diet-fed rats which were significantly lowered by UDCA (40 and 80 mg/kg per day).

CONCLUSION

  The present data demonstrate a beneficial effect of UDCA that manifested by the decrease of liver steatosis, inflammatory signs and serum tumor necrosis factor-α content especially of the highest 40 and 80 mg/kg day doses.

Adaptive changes of the enterochromaffin and gastrin cells in the rat gastrointestinal tract following subtotal colectomy

OBJECTIVE

Colectomized patients often have diarrhoea and increased gastric acid secretion. Although serotonin influences gastrointestinal (GI) motility and secretion, GI serotonin-producing enterochromaffin (EC) cells have not been investigated after colectomy, nor have the antral gastrin cells. The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the GI tract in rats 8 weeks after subtotal colectomy, with particular emphasis on the frequency and distribution of EC and gastrin cells.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Immunohistochemical techniques were used to identify the two endocrine cell types.

RESULTS

The colectomized animals had diarrhoea. Body-weight was lower and the small intestine shorter in the colectomized animals compared with sham-operated and untreated controls. In the two surgically treated groups, the antral mucosa was thinner and the small intestinal mucosa was thicker compared with that of the untreated rats, whereas the thickness of the rectum of the colectomized rats was increased compared with that of the control groups. In the colectomized animals, the number of EC cells was increased in the small intestine and rectum, whereas the numbers of both EC and gastrin cells were decreased in the antrum.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that colectomy exerts a significant influence on the GI mucosa and on the endocrine cell systems studied. An increased number of EC cells can result in alterations in motility and secretion, which may be important in the pathogenesis of the diarrhoea that often occurs after colectomy.

Effects of surgical manipulation of the intestine on peptide YY and its physiology

PYY is a gastrointestinal hormone, mainly released from the distal intestine in response to intraluminal nutrients or via a neurohormonal pathway originating in the proximal intestine. Although there are several molecular forms of circulating PYY with different bioactivity, and further more than six subtypes of Y-receptors, the function is essentially inhibitory to digestive organs located upstream of the digestive tract. These inhibitory mechanisms are named jejunal, ileal and colonic brakes, and play an important supplementary role in adaptation following intestinal resection. When massive resection of the small intestine is performed, the release of PYY from the distal intestine increases, suppressing gastric acid secretion and motility of the gastrointestinal tract, and stimulating pancreatic secretion. After total colectomy, PYY release is reduced first due to reduction of PYY-containing cells, then gradually increases with time, contributing to adaptation of the digestive organs to the new condition.

Bile acid absorption after near-total proctocolectomy in dogs: ileal pouch vs. jejunal pouch-distal rectal anastomosis

Bile acid malabsorption is often present in patients after near-total proctocolectomy and ileal pouch-anal canal anastomosis, suggesting ileal dysfunction. Experiments were performed in dogs to compare bile acid absorption after a modified procedure, in which a jejunal pouch was interposed between the terminal ileum and the distal rectum, with that after a conventional ileal pouch operation. Fecal bile acid output (equivalent to hepatic bile acid biosynthesis) and composition were determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in five jejunal pouch dogs and in five ileal pouch dogs more than 6 months after operation. Fecal bile acid output in the jejunal pouch dogs (mean +/- standard deviation) was 215 +/- 59 mg/day (10.1 +/- 2.7 mg/kg-day), a value similar to that obtained in the ileal pouch dogs (261 +/- 46 mg/day [12.8 +/- 3.1 mg/kg-day]; P >0.05). These values were also similar to those reported by others for healthy unoperated dogs, indicating that increased bile acid biosynthesis occurring in response to bile acid malabsorption was not present. Fecal bile acids in pouch dogs were completely deconjugated and extensively 7-dehydroxylated (jejunal pouch = 90.4% dehydroxylated; ileal pouch = 88.6% +/- 6.6% dehydroxylated) and consisted predominantly of deoxycholic acid derivatives. We conclude that when either a jejunal pouch or an ileal pouch is used as a rectal substitute in dogs, an anaerobic pouch flora develops that efficiently deconjugates and dehydroxylates bile acids, rendering them membrane permeable. The resultant passive absorption of unconjugated bile acids appears to compensate for any loss of active ileal absorption of conjugated bile acids, and bile acid malabsorption does not occur.