Gamma Aminobutyric Acid-Enriched Fermented Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) Increases the Length of the Growth Plate on the Proximal Tibia Bone in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Regulation of gut microbiota and serum neurotransmitters in mice by Streptococcus thermophilus GA8- and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HAO9-fermented milk containing high levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid

BACKGROUND

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an important neurotransmitter in the human body, with several negative emotions reported as being associated with GABA dysregulation. This study investigates the safety and modulatory effects of GABA-enriched milk, fermented by Streptococcus thermophilus GA8 and Lacticasebacillus rhamnosus HAO9, on the gut microbiota and neurotransmitter profiles in mice.

RESULTS

Through rigorous culturing and fermentation processes, we achieved consistent GABA production in milk, with concentrations reaching 4.6 and 8.5 g L-1 for GA8-fermented and co-fermented milk, respectively, after 48 h. Using SPF male C57BL/6J mice, we administered either mono-culture or combined-culture milk treatments and monitored physiological impacts. The treatments did not affect mouse body weight but induced significant changes in gut microbiota composition. Beta diversity analysis revealed distinct microbial profiles between treatment groups, highlighting fermentation-specific microbial shifts, such as an increase in Verrucomicrobia for the GA8 group and a modulation in Saccharibacteria_genera_incertae_sedis for the GA8 + HAO9 group. Serum neurotransmitter levels were elevated in both treatment groups, with significant increases in l-glutamine, l-tryptophan and, notably, serotonin hydrochloride in the GA8 + HAO9 group. Correlation analysis identified a positive association between specific bacterial genera and neurotransmitter levels, suggesting a probiotic effect on neuroactive substances.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that fermented milk has potential as a probiotic supplement for mood improvement and stress relief, highlighting its role in modulating the gut-brain axis. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Food Components in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

In recent years, more plant-based sources of functional foods have been shown to be effective in preventing, reducing, and treating chronic inflammatory and metabolic diseases, and promoting health [...].

Comprehensive transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of the effect of feed restriction on duck sternal development

Skeletal characteristics are important to the growth and development of poultry. In feeding management, constant free feeding (FF) of poultry may lead to imbalance between bone development and weight gain. Feed restriction (FR), to a certain extent, is one way to solve this problem. However, the effect of feed restriction on poultry bone development needs further elucidation at the molecular level. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effects of different levels of feed restriction (60% FR, 70% FR, 80% FR, and FF) on the sternum development of ducks at 7 and 8 wk old. In the seventh wk, with increasing feed restriction, the values of traits including body weight, breast muscle weight, sternal weight, keel length, and calcified keel length decreased. However, in the eighth wk, the sternum weight and keel length of ducks treated with 60% FR were unexpectedly higher than those of FF individuals, indicative of catch-up growth. Then, we conducted RNA-seq and metabolomic analysis on sterna from 7- and 8-wk-old FF and 60% FR ducks. The results identified multiple differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with sternum development that were influenced by feed restriction. Among them, we found that the mRNA expression levels of the chondroitin sulfate synthase 3 (CHSY3) and annexin A2 (ANXA2) which are involved in glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis and bone mineralization, had smaller changes over time under FR treatment than under FF treatment, implying that the FR treatment to a certain extent prevented the premature calcification and prolonged the development time of duck sternum. In addition, the metabolomic and integrative analyses revealed that several antiaging-related metabolites and genes were associated with sternal catch-up growth. Pyrimidine metabolism was identified as the most significant pathway in which most differential metabolites (DMs) between FF and 60% FR were enriched. The results from integrative analysis revealed that the content and expression of 4-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and its related genes showed relatively higher activity in the 60% FR group than in the FF group. The present study identifies multiple biomarkers associated with duck sternum development that are influenced by feed restriction and suggests the potential mechanism of feed restriction-associated duck sternal catch-up growth.

Glucocorticoid induced bone disorders in children: Research progress in treatment mechanisms

Long-term or supra-physiological dose of glucocorticoid (GC) application in clinic can lead to impaired bone growth and osteoporosis. The side effects of GC on the skeletal system are particularly serious in growing children, potentially causing growth retardation or even osteoporotic fractures. Children's bone growth is dependent on endochondral ossification of growth plate chondrocytes, and excessive GC can hinder the development of growth plate and longitudinal bone growth. Despite the availability of drugs for treating osteoporosis, they have failed to effectively prevent or treat longitudinal bone growth and development disorders caused by GCs. As of now, there is no specific drug to mitigate these severe side effects. Traditional Chinese Medicine shows potential as an alternative to the current treatments by eliminating the side effects of GC. In summary, this article comprehensively reviews the research frontiers concerning growth and development disorders resulting from supra-physiological levels of GC and discusses the future research and treatment directions for optimizing steroid therapy. This article may also provide theoretical and experimental insight into the research and development of novel drugs to prevent GC-related side effects.

Fermented Oyster Extract Attenuated Dexamethasone-Induced Muscle Atrophy by Decreasing Oxidative Stress

It is well known that oxidative stress induces muscle atrophy, which decreases with the activation of Nrf2/HO-1. Fermented oyster extracts (FO), rich in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and lactate, have shown antioxidative effects. We evaluated whether FO decreased oxidative stress by upregulating Nrf2/HO-1 and whether it decreased NF-κB, leading to decreased IL-6 and TNF-α. Decreased oxidative stress led to the downregulation of Cbl-b ubiquitin ligase, which increased IGF-1 and decreased FoxO3, atrogin1, and Murf1, and eventually decreased muscle atrophy in dexamethasone (Dexa)-induced muscle atrophy animal model. For four weeks, mice were orally administered with FO, GABA, lactate, or GABA+Lactate, and then Dexa was subcutaneously injected for ten days. During Dexa injection period, FO, GABA, lactate, or GABA+Lactate were also administered, and grip strength test and muscle harvesting were performed on the day of the last Dexa injection. We compared the attenuation effect of FO with GABA, lactate, and GABA+lactate treatment. Nrf2 and HO-1 expressions were increased by Dexa but decreased by FO; SOD activity and glutathione levels were decreased by Dexa but increased by FO; NADPH oxidase activity was increased by Dexa but decreased by FO; NF-κB, IL-6, and TNF-α activities were increased by Dexa were decreased by FO; Cbl-b expression was increased by Dexa but restored by FO; IGF-1 expression was decreased by Dexa but increased by FO; FoxO3, Atrogin-1, and MuRF1 expressions were increased by Dexa but decreased by FO. The gastrocnemius thickness and weight were decreased by Dexa but increased by FO. The cross-sectional area of muscle fiber and grip strength were decreased by Dexa but increased by FO. In conclusion, FO decreased Dexa-induced oxidative stress through the upregulation of Nrf2/HO-1. Decreased oxidative stress led to decreased Cbl-b, FoxO3, atrogin1, and MuRF1, which attenuated muscle atrophy.