• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.15.1-15.10
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• 2021

Abnormal inflammatory responses are closely associated with intestinal microbial dysbiosis. Oral administration of Qmatrix-diabetes-mellitus complex (QDMC), an Aloe gel-based formula, has been reported to improve inflammation in type 2 diabetic mice; however, the role of the gut microbiota in ameliorating efficacy of QDMC remains unclear. We investigated the effect of QDMC on the gut microbiota in a type 2 diabetic aged mouse model that was administered a high-fat diet. Proinflammatory (TNF-α and IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4 and IL-10) cytokine levels in the fat were normalized via oral administration of QDMC, and relative abundances of Bacteroides, Butyricimonas, Ruminococcus, and Mucispirillum were simultaneously significantly increased. The abundance of these bacteria was correlated to the expression levels of cytokines. Our findings suggest that the immunomodulatory activity of QDMC is partly mediated by the altered gut microbiota composition.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제35권10호
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• pp.1461-1478
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• 2022

The maintenance of poultry gut health is complex depending on the intricate balance among diet, the commensal microbiota, and the mucosa, including the gut epithelium and the superimposing mucus layer. Changes in microflora composition and abundance can confer beneficial or detrimental effects on fowl. Antibiotics have devastating impacts on altering the landscape of gut microbiota, which further leads to antibiotic resistance or spread the pathogenic populations. By eliciting the landscape of gut microbiota, strategies should be made to break down the regulatory signals of pathogenic bacteria. The optional strategy of conferring dietary fibers (DFs) can be used to counterbalance the gut microbiota. DFs are the non-starch carbohydrates indigestible by host endogenous enzymes but can be fermented by symbiotic microbiota to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). This is one of the primary modes through which the gut microbiota interacts and communicate with the host. The majority of SCFAs are produced in the large intestine (particularly in the caecum), where they are taken up by the enterocytes or transported through portal vein circulation into the bloodstream. Recent shreds of evidence have elucidated that SCFAs affect the gut and modulate the tissues and organs either by activating G-protein-coupled receptors or affecting epigenetic modifications in the genome through inducing histone acetylase activities and inhibiting histone deacetylases. Thus, in this way, SCFAs vastly influence poultry health by promoting energy regulation, mucosal integrity, immune homeostasis, and immune maturation. In this review article, we will focus on DFs, which directly interact with gut microbes and lead to the production of SCFAs. Further, we will discuss the current molecular mechanisms of how SCFAs are generated, transported, and modulated the pro-and anti-inflammatory immune responses against pathogens and host physiology and gut health.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권6호
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• pp.946-956
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• 2018

The gut microbiota of aquatic animals plays a crucial role in host health through nutrient acquisition and outcompetition of pathogens. In this study, on the basis of the high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons, we examined the bacterial communities in the gut of freshwater shrimp (Macrobrachium nipponense) and in their living environments (sediment and pond water) and analyzed the effects of abiotic and biotic factors on the shrimp gut bacterial communities. High bacterial heterogeneity was observed in the freshwater shrimp gut samples, and the result indicated that both the surrounding bacterial community and water quality factors (particularly dissolved oxygen and temperature) could affect the shrimp gut bacterial community. Despite the observed heterogeneity, 57 genera, constituting 38-99% of the total genera in each of the 40 shrimp gut samples, were identified as the main bacterial population in the gut of M. nipponense. In addition, a high diversity and abundance of lactic acid bacteria (26 genera), which could play significant roles in the digestion process in shrimp, were observed in the shrimp gut samples. Overall, this study provides insights into the gut bacterial communities of freshwater shrimp and basic information for shrimp farming regarding the application of probiotics and disease prevention.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제66권2호
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• pp.425-437
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• 2024

Exercise plays an important role in regulating energy homeostasis, which affects the diversity of the intestinal microbial community in humans and animals. To the best of the authors' knowledge, few studies have reported the associations between horse gut microbiota along with their predicted metabolic activities and the athletic ability of Jeju horses and Thoroughbreds living in Korea. This study was conducted to investigate the association between the gut microbiota and athletic performance in horses. This study sequenced the V3 and V4 hypervariable regions of the partial 16S rRNA genes obtained from racehorse fecal samples and compared the fecal microbiota between high- and low-performance Jeju horses and Thoroughbreds. Forty-nine fecal samples were divided into four groups: high-performance Jeju horses (HJ, n = 13), low-performance Jeju horses (LJ, n = 17), high-performance Thoroughbreds (HT, n = 9), and low-performance Thoroughbreds (LT, n = 10). The high-performance horse groups had a higher diversity of the bacterial community than the low-performance horse groups. Two common functional metabolic activities of the hindgut microbiota (i.e., tryptophan and succinate syntheses) were observed between the low-performance horse groups, indicating dysbiosis of gut microbiota and fatigue from exercise. On the other hand, high-performance horse groups showed enriched production of polyamines, butyrate, and vitamin K. The racing performance may be associated with the composition of the intestinal microbiota of Jeju horses and Thoroughbreds in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.856-867
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• 2017

Supplement of dietary fibers (DF) is regarded as one of the most effective way to prevent and relieve chronic diseases caused by long-term intake of a high-fat diet in the current society. The health benefits of soluble dietary fibers (SDF) have been widely researched and applied, whereas the insoluble dietary fibers (IDF), which represent a higher proportion in plant food, were mistakenly thought to have effects only in fecal bulking. In this article, we proved the anti-obesity and glucose homeostasis improvement effects of IDF from pear pomace at first, and then the mechanisms responsible for these effects were analyzed. The preliminary study by real-time PCR and ELISA showed that this kind of IDF caused more changes in the gut microbiota compared with in satiety hormone or in hepatic metabolism. Further analysis of the gut microbiota by high-throughput amplicon sequencing showed IDF from pear pomace obviously improved the structure of the gut microbiota. Specifically, it promoted the growth of Bacteroidetes and inhibited the growth of Firmicutes. These results are coincident with previous hypothesis that the ratio of Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes is negatively related with obesity. In conclusion, our results demonstrated IDF from pear pomace could prevent high-fat diet-induced obesity in rats mainly by improving the structure of the gut microbiota.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제26권5호
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• pp.876-882
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• 2016

Tylosin has been used as a livestock feed additive and antibiotic growth promoter for many years. However, the mode of action by which tylosin enhances animal growth is unclear. We used high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes to investigate the effects of tylosin as a feed additive on swine gut microbiota. No significant difference in the rate of weight increase was observed between control and tylosin-treated pigs during a 10-week feeding trial. However, tylosin-treated pigs showed rapid increases in the relative abundance of the phylum Firmicutes. Increases in Firmicutes species are associated with (so-called) obese-type gut microbiota. The abundance of species of four families of the phylum Firmicutes (Streptococcaceae, Peptococcaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, and Clostridiaceae) correlated positively with host weight gain. The abundance of Streptococcaceae family bacteria was least affected by tylosin treatment. Distribution analysis of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) showed that both control and tylosin-treated pigs exhibited similar OTU alterations during growth. However, the tylosin-treated group showed distinctive alterations in gut microbiota when the host weighed approximately 60 kg, whereas similar alterations occurred at around 80 kg in the control group. Our results suggest that use of tylosin accelerates maturation of swine gut microbiota rather than altering its composition.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제56권4호
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• pp.349-360
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• 2023

Purpose: Ketogenic diets (KDs) have anti-obesity effects that may be related to glucose control and the gut microbiota. This paper hypothesizes that KD reduces body weight and changes the insulin sensitivity and gut microbiota composition in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. Methods: In this study, C57BL/6 male mice were assigned randomly to 3 groups. The assigned diets were provided to the control and high-fat (HF) diet groups for 14 weeks. The KD group was given a HF diet for 8 weeks to induce obesity, followed by feeding the KD for the next 6 weeks. Results: After the treatment period, the KD group exhibited a 35.82% decrease in body weight gain compared to the HF group. In addition, the KD group demonstrated enhanced glucose control, as shown by the lower levels of serum fasting glucose, serum fasting insulin, and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, compared to the HF group. An analysis of the gut microbiota using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing revealed a significant decrease in the proportion of Firmicutes when the KD was administered. In addition, feeding the KD reduced the overall alpha-diversity measures and caused a notable separation of microbial composition compared to the HF diet group. The KD also led to a decrease in the relative abundance of specific species, such as Acetatifactor_muris, Ligilactobacillus_apodemi, and Muribaculum_intestinale, compared with the HF group. These species were positively correlated with the body weight, whereas the abundant species in the KD group (Kineothrix_alysoides and Saccharofermentans_acetigenes) showed a negative correlation with body weight. Conclusion: The current study presents supporting evidence that KD reduced the body weight and altered the insulin sensitivity and gut microbiota composition in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.155-173
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• 2011

Humans have and hold 100 trillion intestinal bacteria that are essential for health. For millions of years human-microorganisms interaction has co-evolved, and maintained close symbiotic relationship. Gut bacteria contributes to human health and metabolism, and humans provides the optimum nutrition-rich environment for bacteria. What is the mechanism of the host distinguishing the intestinal bacteria as its cohabiting partner and what kind of benefits does the gut microbiota provide the human are the fundamental questions to be asked and solved in order to make human life a higher quality. This review explains the physiological relationship and mutualism between the host and gut microorganism, and highlights the potential therapeutic approach for treating diseases, maintaining and improving health based on these correlations.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.265-274
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• 2014

장내 미생물은 사람의 장에 거주하는 미생물 집단으로 자신들의 효소를 이용해 사람에게 직접적인 에너지원이 되는 대사산물을 만들기도 하고 병원성 미생물의 침입에 대응하기도 하며 소화관의 구조와 기능유지 및 면역계의 발달에 영향을 미치는 등의 중요한 기능을 수행한다. 최근 다양한 분석기술을 통해 사람의 장에 있는 다종 및 다수의 미생물의 구성을 관찰하였고 그 결과 특정 질병을 지닌 사람의 장내 미생물 구성은 건강한 사람의 일반적인 구성과 다르다는 것을 확인하였다. 이러한 발견을 바탕으로 건강한 사람의 대변에 있는 장내 미생물을 질병을 지닌 수여자에게 이식하는 fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) 시술이 각광을 받기 시작하였다. FMT는 장내 미생물의 구성변화로 인해 나타나는 여러 질병에 치료제로 적용할 수 있는데 특히 재발률이 높은 Clostridium difficile 감염에서 활발한 연구가 이루어지고 있다. 이 논문은 지금까지 밝혀진 장내 미생물과 관련된 질병들의 종류와 실제 질병에 FMT를 적용한 사례 등을 정리하고 장내 미생물을 이용하여 현재 연구개발 중인 치료제나 진단도구의 예를 기술함으로써 장내 미생물의 사람의 건강증진과 질병치료를 위한 차세대 생물학적 치료제로서의 가능성을 고찰하고자 한다.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제64권1호
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• pp.75-81
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• 2021

최근의 장내 미생물 연구에 따르면 우리의 건강에 대한 장내 미생물의 중요한 역할이 밝혀졌다. 이에 매년 다양한 건강 기능 식품이 개발되고 있다. 기능성 식품의 개발에는 기능성 식품의 유익한 효과를 확인하기위한 in-vivo 실험이 포함되는 경우가 많다. 그 이유로 기능성 식품이 장내 미생물에 미치는 영향을 조사하기 위해서 동물 실험을 자주 수행하고 있는 실정이다. 식품의 유익한 효과는 장내 미생물 생태가 식품에 의해 이동되어 유익한 박테리아의 증가, 잠재적인 병원성 박테리아의 감소 또는 둘 다에 따라 평가 될 수 있다. 동물 실험은 일반적으로 시간이 많이 걸리고 까다롭기 때문에 본 연구팀은 분변 미생물에 대한 in-vitro 연구로 식이 건강상의 이점을 얼마나 잘 반영하는지 조사했다. 본 연구에서는 두 사람의 배설물을 사용하여 15가지 음식이 장내미생물에 주는 영향을 조사했다. 결과는 식단에 따라 다양한 장내 미생물 이동을 보여 주었으며, 이는 일반적으로 알려진 유익한 식단(즉, 김치, 청국장)이 유산균과 비피도 박테리움을 증가 시켰음을 확인했다. 따라서, 우리는 식이 요법의 유익한 효과를 평가하기 위해 체외 분변 미생물균총 분석을 사용할 수 있다고 제안한다. 또한, 이 방법은 더 나아가 개인 맞춤형 식단을 설정하는 데 도움이 될 수 있다고 사료된다.