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Nontargeted serum metabolomics and expression levels of hepatic iNOS and FXR. (a, b) Partial least-squares discriminant analysis of significantly different negative ions and positive ions. (c, d) Heat maps of significantly different negative ion and positive ion clustering. (e) The number of significantly different negative ions and positive ions in the GI group compared with the GH group. (f) Comparison of liver iNOS and FXR expression levels. ∗ p<0.05; ∗ ∗ p<0.01.
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Effects of the microbiome associated with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) on the gut have been reported, but no study has reported the effects of the IBS-D gut microbiome on the liver. We transplanted the fecal microbiota from an IBS-D patient and from a healthy volunteer to GF rats. The hepatic inflammation, serum biochemical...
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Background
To investigate the potential beneficial effect of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT ) on gastrointestinal symptoms, gut dysbiosis and immune status in discharged COVID-19 patients.
Case presentation
A total of 11 COVID-19 patients were recruited in April, 2020, about one month on average after they were discharged from the hospital....
Citations
... The possible beneficial effects of complementary therapy of BBR/CUR in alleviating symptoms of IBS is likely due to the synergy of multiple pharmacological mechanisms (combined effect) associated with BBR and CUR. According to the reported evidence, BBR can alleviate symptoms of IBS by multiple mechanisms [31], including (1) anti-inflammatory effects (via inhibition of the intestinal nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) signalling pathway) and modulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and interleukin-7 (IL-7) [71]; (2) regulating visceral hypersensitivity and intestinal motility [40,41,72] by reducing the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptors, tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) and C-kit; (3) enhancing intestinal mucosal barrier function [35,73,74]; (4) regulating composition of intestinal flora [36,41,[73][74][75][76]; (5) inhibition of neurotransmission within colonic smooth muscle [37]; (6) improving intestinal epithelial tight junctions by upregulating A20 expression [34]; and (7) via its antinociceptive effect [38]. ...
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder, characterised by recurrent abdominal discomfort and altered bowel movements. IBS cause a significantly negative impact on quality of life (QoL). Growing pharmacological evidence suggests that berberine (BBR) and curcumin (CUR) may mitigate IBS symptoms through multiple complementary synergistic mechanisms, resulting in the attenuation of intestinal inflammation and regulation of bowel motility and gut functions. In the present observational study conducted under real-life routine clinical practice settings, 146 patients diagnosed with IBS were enrolled by general practitioner clinics and pharmacies in Belgium. For the first time, this study assessed the potential synergistic pharmacological effect of a combined oral BBR/CUR supplement (Enterofytol® PLUS, containing 200 mg BBR and 49 mg CUR) (two tablets daily for 2 months), serving as complementary therapy in the management of IBS. Following the 2-month supplementation, significant improvements were observed in the patients’ IBS severity index (IBSSI) (47.5%) and all the primary IBS symptoms, such as abdominal discomfort (47.2%), distension (48.0%), intestinal transit (46.8%), and QoL (48.1%) (all p < 0.0001). The improvement in the patients’ IBSSI was independent of age, sex, and IBS sub-types. The patients’ weekly maximum stool passage frequency decreased significantly (p < 0.0001), and the stool status normalized (p < 0.0001). The patients’ need for concomitant conventional IBS treatment decreased notably: antispasmodics by 64.0% and antidiarrhoeals by 64.6%. Minor adverse effects were reported by a small proportion (7.1%) of patients, mostly gastrointestinal. The majority (93.1%) experienced symptom improvement or resolution, with a high satisfaction rate (82.6%) and willingness to continue the supplementation (79.0%). These findings support the potential synergistic pharmacological role of BBR and CUR in IBS, and their co-supplementation may alleviate IBS symptoms and improve QoL.
... Luminal bacteria participate in digestive functions including the digestion of Fermentable, oligo-, di-, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs). These are the primary source of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which are the key factors in the interplay with the host [17,[38][39][40] and are likely involved in IBS pathophysiology. Available evidence suggests a role for SCFAs in intestinal inflammation, intestinal barrier integrity, motility, and gut-brain axis regulation [41]. ...
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a complex multifactorial condition including alterations of the gut-brain axis, intestinal permeability, mucosal neuro-immune interactions, and microbiota imbalance. Recent advances proposed epigenetic factors as possible regulators of several mechanisms involved in IBS pathophysiology. These epigenetic factors include biomolecular mechanisms inducing chromosome-related and heritable changes in gene expression regardless of DNA coding sequence. Accordingly, altered gut microbiota may increase the production of metabolites such as sodium butyrate, a prominent inhibitor of histone deacetylases. Patients with IBS showed an increased amount of butyrate-producing microbial phila as well as an altered profile of methylated genes and micro-RNAs (miRNAs). Importantly, gene acetylation as well as specific miRNA profiles are involved in different IBS mechanisms and may be applied for future diagnostic purposes, especially to detect increased gut permeability and visceromotor dysfunctions. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the role of epigenetics in IBS pathophysiology.
... [19] Several research groups investigated that diets supplemented (100 mg/kg) in dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC) caused acute pancreatitis in Wistar albino rats by lowering fasting blood glucose, increasing level of antioxidative enzymes like SOD, CAT, and Glutathione (GSH), as well as lowering peroxidation parameters. [20][21][22] BBR inhibits doxorubicin (DOX)induced cardiac apoptosis in diabetic animal models and human kidney cells through inhibition of PI3K/Akt transduction pathways' AMP/ATP ratio and AMPK. [23] BBR affects the neurotransmitters and receptor systems of the central nervous system. ...
Berberine is a metabolite of many medicinal plants. Chemically, berberine belongs to the isoquinoline alkaloids family. The roots of plants grown at lower elevations have a higher concentration of berberine as compared to plants grown at higher elevations. Berberine is a natural substance, which is now among the patent pharmaceuticals for reducing chronic disorders and malignancies. Berberine is also classified as a nutraceutical. Nutraceuticals have been associated with various health benefits via modifying microRNA (miR) expression systems, apoptosis, gene activity, chemical signals/pathways and activation of transcription factors thus aiding in the prevention from various ailments. The pharmacokinetic studies revealed that berberine is poorly absorbed via intestinal walls therefore, its concentration level is extremely low in body fluid. However, the quantity of berberine and its active derivatives in organs is higher as compared to blood as it stably present in tissues. Berberine has an effective role in the body as an anticancer, antidiabetic, antiobesity, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, antiaging and cardioprotective agent. In this review, the therapeutic potentials of berberine are discussed to understand its nutraceutical importance.
... Berberine is a natural pentacyclic isoquinoline alkaloid extracted from many popular medicine plants such as the genus Berberis, Coptis and Hydrastis . There is already evidence that the structural and numerical changes in the gut microbiota under pathological conditions can be reversed by berberine (Jia et al., 2019), which mediates modulatory effects on microglial activation and visceral hypersensitivity , and ameliorates intestinal inflammation in humans through antibacterial action (Gong et al., 2017;Habtemariam, 2020). Berberine enhanced the composition of beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Akkermansia . ...
Introduction: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) leads to non-specific abdominal discomfort and nutrient malabsorption. Currently, rifaximin is widely applied in SIBO based on its antibacterial and non-absorbable nature. Berberine is a natural component of many popular medicine plants that ameliorates intestinal inflammation in humans through its modification of the gut microbiota. Potential effect of berberine to the gut may provide therapeutic target for SIBO. We aimed to evaluate the effect of berberine compared with rifaximin on SIBO patients. Methods: This is an investigator-initiated, single-center, open-label, double-arm randomized controlled trial, termed BRIEF-SIBO (Berberine and rifaximin effects for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). In total, 180 patients will be recruited and allocated to an intervention group (berberine) and a control group (rifaximin). Each participant will receive one 400 mg drug twice a day (800 mg daily) for 2 weeks. The total follow-up period is 6 weeks from the start of medication. The primary outcome is a negative breath test. The secondary outcomes include abdominal symptom relief and alteration in gut microbiota. Efficacy assessment will be performed every 2 weeks, as well as safety assessment during the treatment. The primary hypothesis is that berberine is not inferior to rifaximin for SIBO. Discussion: The BRIEF-SIBO study is the first clinical trial assessing the eradication effects of 2 weeks of berberine treatment in SIBO patients. The effect of berberine will be fully verified by using rifaximin as the positive control. The findings of this study may have implications for the management of SIBO, especially increasing the awareness of both physicians and patients who are suffering from long-term abdominal discomfort and avoiding excessive examination.
... However, the functional role of this genus in the intestinal tract is still unclear, as it was defined only recently (52). In general, in the context of berberine treatment, the family Peptostreptococcaceae has not been described before, but previous studies found a significantly reduced abundance of Clostridium cluster XI associated with berberine treatment (53). A short-term study investigating the effect of metformin, a clinically effective drug for treating diabetes, on the composition of healthy human gut microbiota highlighted a relative increase of the genus Escherichia-Shigella and a decrease of the Peptostreptococcaceae and four genera within it, among which the genus Romboutsia (54). ...
Dietary additives are widely used to reduce intestinal inflammation and enteritis, a growing problem in the broiler industry. Berberine, with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity, would be an interesting feed additive in this regard.
... However, we identified that systemic and colon inflammation were significantly activated in the BT-negative group presenting with a significant increase for IL12 level in PBMC and colon mucosa. The host gut microbiota contributes to the etiology and symptomology of IBS, [24,25] which are associated with increased epithelial permeability and aberrations in immunity. In our study, the microbiota of BT-negative patients presented a higher proportion of Proteobacteria, a phylum consisting of many pathogenic bacteria. ...
Background:
As a non-invasive and effective diagnostic method for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), wild-use of breath test (BT) has demonstrated a high comorbidity rate in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) and SIBO. Patients overlapping with SIBO respond better to rifaximin therapy than those with IBS-D only. Gut microbiota plays a critical role in both of these two diseases. We aimed to determine the microbial difference between IBS-D overlapping with/without SIBO, and to study the underlying mechanism of its sensitivity to rifaximin.
Methods:
Patients with IBS-D were categorized as BT-negative (IBSN) and BT-positive (IBSP). Healthy volunteers (BT-negative) were enrolled as healthy control. The patients were clinically evaluated before and after rifaximin treatment (0.4 g bid, 4 weeks). Blood, intestine, and stool samples were collected for cytokine assessment and gut microbial analyses.
Results:
Clinical complaints and microbial abundance were significantly higher in IBSP than in IBSN. In contrast, severe systemic inflammation and more active bacterial invasion function that were associated with enrichment of opportunistic pathogens were seen in IBSN. The symptoms of IBSP patients were relieved in different degrees after therapy, but the symptoms of IBSN rarely changed. We also found that the presence of IBSN-enriched genera (Enterobacter and Enterococcus) are unaffected by rifaximin therapy.
Conclusions:
IBS-D patients overlapping with SIBO showed noticeably different fecal microbial composition and function compared with IBS-D only. The better response to rifaximin in those comorbid patients might associate with their different gut microbiota, which suggests that BT is necessary before IBS-D diagnosis and use of rifaximin.
Registration:
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800017911.
... These metabolic shifts can ultimately bridge the colonization of, and provide fitness advantages to, further opportunistic pathogens (for example, pathogenic E. coli strains) possessing formate dehydrogenase and terminal oxidase genes, as shown in murine models of colitis 32 . Furthermore, a recent study associated formate, propionate, and acetate levels to Faecalibacterium and Bifidobacterium in the faecal microbiomes of inflammatory bowel syndrome patients 64 . Taken together, these studies underline the variety of formate-producing microbes, further extending its importance beyond Fn. ...
The gut microbiome is a key player in the immunomodulatory and protumorigenic microenvironment during colorectal cancer (CRC), as different gut-derived bacteria can induce tumour growth. However, the crosstalk between the gut microbiome and the host in relation to tumour cell metabolism remains largely unexplored. Here we show that formate, a metabolite produced by the CRC-associated bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum, promotes CRC development. We describe molecular signatures linking CRC phenotypes with Fusobacterium abundance. Cocultures of F. nucleatum with patient-derived CRC cells display protumorigenic effects, along with a metabolic shift towards increased formate secretion and cancer glutamine metabolism. We further show that microbiome-derived formate drives CRC tumour invasion by triggering AhR signalling, while increasing cancer stemness. Finally, F. nucleatum or formate treatment in mice leads to increased tumour incidence or size, and Th17 cell expansion, which can favour proinflammatory profiles. Moving beyond observational studies, we identify formate as a gut-derived oncometabolite that is relevant for CRC progression.
... As shown in Figure 1, the alpha diversity in the anxiety and depression group was decreased compared with the control group, although no significant differences were observed (Observed OTUs: 122. 35 ...
... Song et al. (34) proposed that a higher abundance of Bacteroides was linked with a higher fear of cancer recurrence. The relative abundance of Gemmiger in the anxiety and depression group was similar to that in another study related to diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (2.4%) (35). In addition, Aranaz's study showed that the abundance of Gemmiger decreased in subjects with a higher inflammatory index (36). ...
Background: Increasing attention has been devoted to cancer screening and microbiota in recent decades, but currently there is less focus on microbiota characterization among screeners and its relationship to anxiety and depression.
Methods: We characterized the microbial communities of fecal samples collected through the FOBT card from anxiety and depression screeners and paired controls in Henan, China (1:2, N = 69). DNA was extracted using the MOBIO PowerSoil kit. The V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced using MiniSeq and processed using QIIME1. LEfSe was used to identify differentially abundant microbes, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to test alpha diversity differences, and permutational multivariate analysis of variance was used to test for differences in beta diversity.
Results: Similar fecal microbiota signatures in composition were found among screeners. The intestinal microbial environments by phylum were all composed primarily of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria, and the corresponding top genera were Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, and Prevotella. Compared with controls, the ranking of the top five genera in the anxiety and depression group changed, and the dominant genus was Prevotella in the anxiety and depression group and Faecalibacterium in the control group. There was a lower relative abundance of Gemmiger (1.4 vs. 2.3%, P = 0.025), Ruminococcus (0.6 vs. 0.8%, P = 0.037), and Veillonella (0.6 vs. 1.3%, P = 0.020). This may be linked to the lower alpha diversity in participants with anxiety and depression (Observed OTUs: 122.35 vs. 143.24; Chao1: 127.35 vs. 149.98), although no significant differences were observed. Distinct clustering in microbial composition between the two groups was detected for the Jaccard distance (P = 0.011).
Conclusions: Our study showed differing microbial characterization among participants with anxiety and depression in the endoscopic screening of upper gastrointestinal cancer. Gemmiger, Ruminococcus, and Veillonella were informative and have potential clinical implications, which need to be confirmed by large-scale, prospective cohort studies and biological mechanism research.
... This may have resulted in a competitive absorption relationship between the minerals contained in yeast and dietary calcium, leading to a decrease in eggshell strength. Serum biochemical indices can reflect changes in tissue cell permeability and metabolic function of the body, which is a sensitive index reflecting the state of the animals' health [39]. In this study, we found that compared with the probiotics group, the anisodamine group showed a decrease in the levels of GLB, and the remaining indexes did not present significant differences (Table 4). ...
Dropping moisture (DM) refers to the water content in feces. High DM negatively affects poultry production, environment, production costs, and animal health. Heredity, nutrition, environment, and disease may affect DM level. DM has medium inheritability and is related to cage height in henhouses. We examined the relationship among DM level, production performance, and environmental factors at different locations at the same henhouse height and effects of three types of additives. We measured the correlation between environmental factors including temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, absolute pressure, and DM levels and laying performance of 934 Rhode Island Red hens. DM level was not significantly associated with environmental factors or production performance. We divided 64 persistently high DM hens into control and treatment groups supplied with different additives (probiotics, anisodamine, and antibiotics). DM levels, laying performance, egg quality, and serum biochemical indices were determined. Compared with the control and antibiotics, probiotics significantly reduced DM levels and eggshell strength while improving yolk color but did not significantly affect production performance. The additives reduced the b value of eggshell color; compared with probiotics, anisodamine decreased serum globulin levels. Exogenous active yeast supplementation can significantly reduce DM levels.
... Throughout the experimental period, normal chow and clean water were provided ad libitum. For GF rats, the chow was sterilized with Co-60 radiation, bedding and water were disinfected with an autoclave sterilizer, and cages were sanitized with peracetic acid [21]. The GF status was monitored regularly by fecal smear test and bacterial culture. ...
... BBR (100 mg/kg) dissolved in distilled water or control vehicle was administered via oral gavage every day for four weeks, starting from the 7th day after sham operation/ovariectomy up until the day before intraperitoneal anesthesia with sodium pentobarbital (50 mg/kg). The dose of BBR was based on our previous studies [21,23]. The mixture of BBR and distilled water was sonicated and then water-bathed at 90°C for 10 mins. ...
The gut microbiota is recognized as a promising therapeutic target for anxiety. Berberine (BBR) has shown efficacy in the treatment of diseases such as postmenopausal osteoporosis, obesity, and type 2 diabetes through regulating the gut microbiota. However, the effects of BBR on postmenopausal anxiety are still unclear. The purpose of the study is to test whether BBR ameliorates anxiety by modulating intestinal microbiota under estrogen-deficient conditions. Experimental anxiety was established in specific pathogen-free (SPF) ovariectomized (OVX) rats, which were then treated with BBR for 4 weeks before undergoing behavioral tests. Open field and elevated plus maze tests demonstrated that BBR treatment significantly ameliorated anxiety-like behaviors of OVX rats compared with vehicle-treated counterparts. Moreover, as demonstrated by 16S rRNA sequencing and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis, BBR-treated OVX rats harbored a higher abundance of beneficial gut microbes, such as Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Akkermansia, and exhibited increased equol generation. Notably, gavage feeding of BBR had no significant anti-anxiety effects on germ-free (GF) rats that underwent ovariectomy, whereas GF rats transplanted with fecal microbiota from SPF rats substantially phenocopied the donor rats in terms of anxiety-like symptoms and isoflavone levels. This study indicates that the gut microbiota is critical in the treatment of ovariectomy-aggravated anxiety, and that BBR modulation of the gut microbiota is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating postmenopausal symptoms of anxiety.
