Breastfeeding Affects Concentration of Faecal Short Chain Fatty Acids During the First Year of Life: Results of the Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Food-breastmilk combinations alter the colonic microbiome of weaning infants: an in silico study

The introduction of solid foods to infants, also known as weaning, is a critical point for the development of the complex microbial community inhabiting the human colon, impacting host physiology in infancy and later in life. This research investigated in silico the impact of food-breastmilk combinations on growth and metabolite production by colonic microbes of New Zealand weaning infants using the metagenome-scale metabolic model named Microbial Community. Eighty-nine foods were individually combined with breastmilk, and the 12 combinations with the strongest influence on the microbial production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) were identified. Fiber-rich and polyphenol-rich foods, like pumpkin and blackcurrant, resulted in the greatest increase in predicted fluxes of total SCFAs and individual fluxes of propionate and acetate when combined, respectively, with breastmilk. Identified foods were further combined with other foods and breastmilk, resulting in 66 multiple food-breastmilk combinations. These combinations altered in silico the impact of individual foods on the microbial production of SCFAs and BCFAs, suggesting that the interaction between the dietary compounds composing a meal is the key factor influencing colonic microbes. Blackcurrant combined with other foods and breastmilk promoted the greatest increase in the production of acetate and total SCFAs, while pork combined with other foods and breastmilk decreased the production of total BCFAs.IMPORTANCELittle is known about the influence of complementary foods on the colonic microbiome of weaning infants. Traditional in vitro and in vivo microbiome methods are limited by their resource-consuming concerns. Modeling approaches represent a promising complementary tool to provide insights into the behavior of microbial communities. This study evaluated how foods combined with other foods and human milk affect the production of short-chain fatty acids and branched-chain fatty acids by colonic microbes of weaning infants using a rapid and inexpensive in silico approach. Foods and food combinations identified here are candidates for future experimental investigations, helping to fill a crucial knowledge gap in infant nutrition.

Advances in heart failure monitoring: Biosensors targeting molecular markers in peripheral bio-fluids

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), especially chronic heart failure, threaten many patients' lives worldwide. Because of its slow course and complex causes, its clinical screening, diagnosis, and prognosis are essential challenges. Clinical biomarkers and biosensor technologies can rapidly screen and diagnose. Multiple types of biomarkers are employed for screening purposes, precise diagnosis, and treatment follow-up. This article provides an up-to-date overview of the biomarkers associated with the six main heart failure etiology pathways. Plasma natriuretic peptides (BNP and NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponins (cTnT, cTnl) are still analyzed as gold-standard markers for heart failure. Other complementary biomarkers include growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), circulating Galactose Lectin 3 (Gal-3), soluble interleukin (sST2), C-reactive protein (CRP), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). For these biomarkers, the electrochemical biosensors have exhibited sufficient sensitivity, detection limit, and specificity. This review systematically summarizes the latest molecular biomarkers and sensors for heart failure, which will provide comprehensive and cutting-edge authoritative scientific information for biomedical and electronic-sensing researchers in the field of heart failure, as well as patients. In addition, our proposed future outlook may provide new research ideas for researchers.

Supplemented Infant Formula and Human Breast Milk Show Similar Patterns in Modulating Infant Microbiota Composition and Function In Vitro

The gut microbiota of healthy breastfed infants is often dominated by bifidobacteria. In an effort to mimic the microbiota of breastfed infants, modern formulas are fortified with bioactive and bifidogenic ingredients. These ingredients promote the optimal health and development of infants as well as the development of the infant microbiota. Here, we used INFOGEST and an in vitro batch fermentation model to investigate the gut health-promoting effects of a commercial infant formula supplemented with a blend containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (20 mg/100 kcal), polydextrose and galactooligosaccharides (PDX/GOS) (4 g/L, 1:1 ratio), milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) (5 g/L), lactoferrin (0.6 g/L), and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, BB-12 (BB-12) (106 CFU/g). Using fecal inoculates from three healthy infants, we assessed microbiota changes, the bifidogenic effect, and the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production of the supplemented test formula and compared those with data obtained from an unsupplemented base formula and from the breast milk control. Our results show that even after INFOGEST digestion of the formula, the supplemented formula can still maintain its bioactivity and modulate infants' microbiota composition, promote faster bifidobacterial growth, and stimulate production of SCFAs. Thus, it may be concluded that the test formula containing a bioactive blend promotes infant gut microbiota and SCFA profile to something similar, but not identical to those of breastfed infants.

Review and Perspectives on Bifidobacterium lactis for Infants' and Children's Health

The influence of microbiota dysbiosis in early life is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for the development of several chronic diseases later in life, including an increased risk of asthma, eczema, allergies, obesity, and neurodevelopmental disorders. The question whether the potential lifelong consequences of early life dysbiosis could be mitigated by restoring microbiota composition remains unresolved. However, the current evidence base suggests that protecting the normal development of the microbiome during this critical developmental window could represent a valuable public health strategy to curb the incidence of chronic and lifestyle-related diseases. Probiotic Bifidobacteria are likely candidates for this purpose in newborns and infants considering the natural dominance of this genus on microbiota composition in early life. Moreover, the most frequently reported microbiota composition alteration in association with newborn and infant diseases, including necrotizing enterocolitis and diarrhea, is a reduction in Bifidobacteria levels. Several studies have assessed the effects of B. animalis subsp. lactis strains in newborns and infants, but recent expert opinions recommend analyzing their efficacy at the strain-specific level. Hence, using the B94 strain as an example, this review summarizes the clinical evidence available in infants and children in various indications, discussing the safety and potential modes of actions while providing perspectives on the concept of "non-infant-type" probiotics for infants' health.

Analytical factors for eight short-chain fatty acid analyses in mouse feces through headspace solid-phase microextraction-triple quadrupole gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

This study developed a method for quantifying eight short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in mouse fecal samples using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with triple quadrupole gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Furthermore, significant factors affecting SCFA analysis, including SPME fiber selection, pH, salting-out agent, and sample collection time, were investigated. Contrary to previous studies, we found that the CAR/PDMS fiber had the highest extraction efficiency for all SCFAs. The optimal extraction efficiency was observed at pH 2.0, particularly for low-molecular-weight SCFAs. NaH2PO4 showed a more effective extraction efficiency than NaCl, owing to its pH stability and less interference with the solvent matrix. Additionally, our results showed that the SCFA concentration increased over collection time. The composition ratio of the eight SCFAs was maintained for up to 24 h; thus, we concluded that samples should be collected within four hours to obtain reliable results. Our findings may improve laboratory methods for SCFA extraction and mouse fecal sample analysis.

Multispecies probiotic affects fecal short-chain fatty acids in postmenopausal women with obesity: A post hoc analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

OBJECTIVES

Probiotics are known to regulate host metabolism. The aim of this study was to assess whether interventions with a multi-strain probiotic formula affect fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

METHODS

The analysis was carried out in 56 obese, postmenopausal women randomized to three groups: probiotic dose 2.5 × 109 CFU/d (n = 18; lower probiotic dose [LPD]), 1 × 1010 CFU/d (n = 18; higher probiotic dose [HPD]), or placebo (n = 20).

RESULTS

An increase in three SCFA fecal concentrations in the HPD group was observed: acetic acid (C2; effect [E] = 1.72, SE = 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28-3.16; P = 0.019), butyric acid (C4; E = 0.98, SE = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.08-1.88; P = 0.033), and valeric acid (C5; E = 0.68, SE = 0.23; 95% CI, 0.23-1.12; P = 0.003). The mediation analysis showed that the decrease in uric acid under HPD may be transmitted through the elevation of C5 content. Multi-strain probiotic increases the SCFA content in the stool in a dose-dependent manner, which may diminish some cardiovascular risk factors because of a reduction in blood uric acid levels.

CONCLUSION

Assessing long-term health benefits requires further research, including assessment of blood SCFA concentrations and multiomic and mechanistic approaches.

The Effect of Human Milk Oligosaccharides and Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis Bi-26 on Simulated Infant Gut Microbiome and Metabolites

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) shape the developing infant gut microbiota. In this study, a semi-continuous colon simulator was used to evaluate the effect of 2 HMOs-2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL) and 3-fucosyllactose (3-FL)-on the composition of infant faecal microbiota and microbial metabolites. The simulations were performed with and without a probiotic Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis Bi-26 (Bi-26) and compared with a control that lacked an additional carbon source. The treatments with HMOs decreased α-diversity and increased Bifidobacterium species versus the control, but the Bifidobacterium species differed between simulations. The levels of acetic acid and the sum of all short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) trended toward an increase with 2'-FL, as did lactic acid with 2'-FL and 3-FL, compared with control. A clear correlation was seen between the consumption of HMOs and the increase in SCFAs (-0.72) and SCFAs + lactic acid (-0.77), whereas the correlation between HMO consumption and higher total bifidobacterial numbers was moderate (-0.46). Bi-26 decreased propionic acid levels with 2'-FL. In conclusion, whereas infant faecal microbiota varied between infant donors, the addition of 2'-FL and 3-FL, alone or in combination, increased the relative abundance and numbers Bifidobacterium species in the semi-continuous colon simulation model, correlating with the production of microbial metabolites. These findings may suggest that HMOs and probiotics benefit the developing infant gut microbiota.

Therapeutic Potential of Gut Microbiota and Its Metabolite Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the principle end-products produced by the anaerobic gut microbial fermentation of complex carbohydrates (CHO) in the colon perform beneficial roles in metabolic health. Butyrate, acetate and propionate are the main SCFA metabolites, which maintain gut homeostasis and host immune responses, enhance gut barrier integrity and reduce gut inflammation via a range of epigenetic modifications in DNA/histone methylation underlying these effects. The infant gut microbiota composition is characterized by higher abundances of SCFA-producing bacteria. A large number of in vitro/vivo studies have demonstrated the therapeutic implications of SCFA-producing bacteria in infant inflammatory diseases, such as obesity and asthma, but the application of gut microbiota and its metabolite SCFAs to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), an acute inflammatory necrosis of the distal small intestine/colon affecting premature newborns, is scarce. Indeed, the beneficial health effects attributed to SCFAs and SCFA-producing bacteria in neonatal NEC are still to be understood. Thus, this literature review aims to summarize the available evidence on the therapeutic potential of gut microbiota and its metabolite SCFAs in neonatal NEC using the PubMed/MEDLINE database.

Analysis of Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) in Healthy Children during the First Two Years of Life: An Observational Prospective Cohort Study

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are important metabolites of the gut microbiota. The aim is to analyze the influence of perinatal factors, which can affect the gut microbiota, on the concentrations of fecal SCFAs over the first two years of life. Gas chromatography was used to analyze SCFA in a total of 456 fecal samples from 86 children. Total SCFA concentrations increased until 12 months and stabilized after that. Antibiotic treatment during pregnancy was associated with an increase in acetic acid, propionic acid and total SCFA in meconium and a decrease in the same SCFAs at 6 months. Butyric acid was increased after Caesarean delivery until 1 month. In formula-fed children, propionic acid (at 1 month) and butyric acid and total SCFA (at 12 months) were increased. Acetic and linear butyric acids and total SCFAs were also increased at 12 months in children born vaginally that were also formula-fed. Higher butyric acid was observed in children of mothers with normal pre-pregnancy weight and adequate weight gain during pregnancy. Butyric acid was also elevated in 6-month-old infants with a higher body weight (≥85th percentile). Acetic acid concentrations were significantly higher in 2-year-old females vs. males. We conclude that perinatal factors are linked to changes in fecal SCFAs and further long-term epidemiological studies are warranted.

Analysis of correlations between gut microbiota, stool short chain fatty acids, calprotectin and cardiometabolic risk factors in postmenopausal women with obesity: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Microbiota and its metabolites are known to regulate host metabolism. In cross-sectional study conducted in postmenopausal women we aimed to assess whether the microbiota, its metabolites and gut barrier integrity marker are correlated with cardiometabolic risk factors and if microbiota is different between obese and non-obese subjects.

METHODS

We analysed the faecal microbiota of 56 obese, postmenopausal women by means of 16S rRNA analysis. Stool short chain fatty acids, calprotectin and anthropometric, physiological and biochemical parameters were correlates to microbiome analyses.

RESULTS

Alpha-diversity was inversely correlated with lipopolysaccharide (Rho = - 0.43, FDR P (Q) = 0.004). Bray-Curtis distance based RDA revealed that visceral fat and waist circumference had a significant impact on metabolic potential (P = 0.003). Plasma glucose was positively correlated with the Coriobacteriaceae (Rho = 0.48, Q = 0.004) and its higher taxonomic ranks, up to phylum (Actinobacteria, Rho = 0.46, Q = 0.004). At the metabolic level, the strongest correlation was observed for the visceral fat (Q < 0.15), especially with the DENOVOPURINE2-PWY, PWY-841 and PWY0-162 pathways. Bacterial abundance was correlated with SCFAs, thus some microbiota-glucose relationships may be mediated by propionate, as indicated by the significant average causal mediation effect (ACME): Lachnospiraceae (ACME 1.25, 95%CI (0.10, 2.97), Firmicutes (ACME 1.28, 95%CI (0.23, 3.83)) and Tenericutes (ACME - 0.39, 95%CI (- 0.87, - 0.03)). There were significant differences in the distribution of phyla between this study and Qiita database (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Microbiota composition and metabolic potential are associated with some CMRF and fecal SCFAs concentration in obese postmenopausal women. There is no unequivocal relationship between fecal SCFAs and the marker of intestinal barrier integrity and CMRF. Further studies with appropriately matched control groups are warranted to look for causality between SCFAs and CMRF.