• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제24권6호
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• pp.812-822
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• 2014

Metagenomic analysis of the human intestinal microbiota has extended our understanding of the role of these bacteria in improving human intestinal health; however, a number of reports have shown that current total fecal DNA extraction methods and 16S rRNA universal primer sets could affect the species coverage and resolution of these analyses. Here, we improved the extraction method for total DNA from human fecal samples by optimization of the lysis buffer, boiling time (10 min), and bead-beating time (0 min). In addition, we developed a new long-range 16S rRNA universal PCR primer set targeting the V6 to V9 regions with a 580 bp DNA product length. This new 16S rRNA primer set was evaluated by comparison with two previously developed 16S rRNA universal primer sets and showed high species coverage and resolution. The optimized total fecal DNA extraction method and newly designed long-range 16S rRNA universal primer set will be useful for the highly accurate metagenomic analysis of adult and infant intestinal microbiota with minimization of any bias.

• 농업과학연구
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• 제49권3호
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• pp.531-537
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• 2022

This study evaluated the effects of dehulled lupin kernel (DLK) supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine, fecal microbiota and fecal noxious gas emission in growing pigs. A total of 108 growing pigs (Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc) with an average initial body weight (IBW) of 24.49 ± 3.2 kg were allocated to one of three dietary treatments (5, 10, and 20 % DLK) according to sex and BW in a randomized complete block design for 6 wk. Each dietary treatment consisted of 9 replication pens with 4 pigs per pen (2 gilts and 2 borrows). The results show that there were no significant differences in growth performance and nutrient digestibility among the treatments (p > 0.05). However, pigs fed the DLK20 diet had a higher BUN compared with those fed the DLK10 diet (p < 0.05). No effects were observed on the fecal microbiota and fecal noxious gas emission among the treatments. In conclusion, the inclusion of 20% DLK had no adverse effects on the performance in growing pigs.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제63권5호
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• pp.1142-1158
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• 2021

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are metabolic products produced during the microbial fermentation of non-digestible fibers and play an important role in metabolic homeostasis and overall gut health. In this study, we investigated the effects of supplementation with multispecies probiotics (MSPs) containing Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Limosilactobacillus reuteri, and Levilactobacillus brevis on the gut microbiota, and fecal SCFAs and lactate levels of weaned pigs. A total of 38 pigs weaned at 4 weeks of age were fed either a basal diet or a diet supplemented with MSPs for 6 weeks. MSP administration significantly increased the fecal concentrations of lactate (2.3-fold; p < 0.01), acetate (1.8-fold; p < 0.05), and formate (1.4-fold; p < 0.05). Moreover, MSP supplementation altered the gut microbiota of the pigs by significantly increasing the population of potentially beneficial bacteria such as Olsenella, Catonella, Catenibacterium, Acidaminococcus, and Ruminococcaceae. MSP supplementation also decreased the abundance of pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia and Chlamydia. The modulation of the gut microbiota was observed to be strongly correlated with the changes in fecal SCFAs and lactate levels. Furthermore, we found changes in the functional pathways present within the gut, which supports our findings that MSP modulates the gut microbiota and SCFAs levels in pigs. The results support the potential use of MSPs to improve the gut health of animals by modulating SCFAs production.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권9호
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• pp.1111-1118
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• 2023

As a long-term condition that affects the airways and lungs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by inflammation, emphysema, breathlessness, chronic cough, and sputum production. Currently, the bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed for COPD are mostly off-target, warranting new disease management strategies. Accumulating research has revealed the gut-lung axis to be a bidirectional communication system. Cigarette smoke, a major exacerbating factor in COPD and lung inflammation, affects gut microbiota composition and diversity, causing gut microbiota dysbiosis, a condition that has recently been described in COPD patients and animal models. For this review, we focused on the gut-lung axis, which is influenced by gut microbial metabolites, bacterial translocation, and immune cell modulation. Further, we have summarized the findings of preclinical and clinical studies on the association between gut microbiota and COPD to provide a basis for using gut microbiota in therapeutic strategies against COPD. Our review also proposes that further research on probiotics, prebiotics, short-chain fatty acids, and fecal microbiota transplantation could assist therapeutic approaches targeting the gut microbiota to alleviate COPD.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제30권10호
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• pp.1456-1463
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• 2017

Objective: To investigate the effect of host genetics on gut microbial diversity, we performed a structural survey of the fecal microbiota of four purebred boar pig lines: Duroc, Landrace, Hampshire, and Yorkshire. Methods: The V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA genes were amplified and sequenced. Results: A total of 783 operational taxonomic units were shared by all breeds, whereas others were breed-specific. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes dominated the majority of the fecal microbiota; Clostridia, Bacilli, and Bacteroidia were the major classes. Nine predominant genera were observed in all breeds and eight of them can produce short-chain fatty acids. Some bacteria can secrete cellulase to aid fiber digestion by the host. Butyric, isobutyric, valeric, and isovaleric acid levels were highest in Landrace pigs, whereas acetic and propionic acid were highest in the Hampshire breed. Heatmap was used to revealed breed-specific bacteria. Principal coordinate analysis of fecal bacteria revealed that the Landrace and Yorkshire breeds had high similarity and were clearly separated from the Duroc and Hampshire breeds. Conclusion: Overall, this study is the first time to compare the fecal microbiomes of four breeds of boar pig by high-throughput sequencing and to use Spearman's rank correlation to analyze competition and cooperation among the core bacteria.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제25권9호
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• pp.1555-1558
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• 2015

Administration of dietary fibers has various health benefits, mainly by increasing numbers of beneficial bacteria and enhancing production of short-chain fatty acids in the colon. There has been growing interest in the addition of dietary fiber to human diet, due to its prebiotic effects. This study aimed to evaluate the prebiotic activity of inulin using an in vitro batch fermentation system with human fecal microbiota. Fermentation of inulin resulted in a significantly greater ratio of Lactobacillus or Bifidobacteria to Enterobacteria strains as an index of healthy human intestine and elevated butyrate concentration, which are related to improvement of gut health.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.355-360
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• 2018

Recently, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been attracting attention as a possible medical treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). A randomized controlled trial of FMT for children with UC is currently underway. Therapeutic effects of FMT for adults with UC remain controversial. We report two cases of early-onset UC in children. A patient was diagnosed with UC at age 1-year 9-month and underwent FMT at age 2-year 3-month. He attained clinical remission for three weeks after FMT, but then relapsed at four weeks, ultimately undergoing a total colectomy. Another child was diagnosed with UC at 2-year 10-month and she underwent FMT at age 5 years. She has remained in clinical remission following FMT for 24 months and her UC has been maintained without complications with tacrolimus and azathioprine. We report that FMT for early-onset UC appears to be safe and potentially effective.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.277-287
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• 2018

Current reports suggest that obesity is a serious global health issue. Emerging evidence has predicted strong links between obesity and the human gut microbiota. However, only a few such studies have been conducted in Asia, and the gut microbiota of lean and obese adult Asians remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the potential relationship between gut microbiota, body massindex (BMI), and metabolic parameters in adults from Thailand, where obesity is increasing rapidly. Fecal and blood samples were collected from 42 volunteers who were allocated into lean, overweight, and obese groups. The fecal microbiota was examined by quantitative PCR analysis. Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Staphylococcus spp. and methanogens were most abundant in lean volunteers. Overweight volunteers majorly harbored Christensenella minuta and Akkermansia muciniphila, ${\gamma}-Proteobacteria$, and bacteria belonging to the genus Ruminococcus. Methanogens and bacteria belonging to the phylum Bacteroidetes were negatively correlated with adiposity markers (BMI and waist circumference), but positive correlated with high-density lipoprotein, suggesting that they can be used as leanness markers. While some of our results agree with those of previous reports, results regarding the contributions of specific taxa to obesity were inconsistent. This is the first study to report the adult gut microbiota in Southeast Asian populations using molecular techniques and biochemical markers and provides a foundation for future studies in this field.

• 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.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제37권8호
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• pp.1428-1439
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• 2024

Objective: Compared to Mimas pigeons, Shiqi pigeons exhibit greater tolerance to coarse feeding because of their abundant gut microbiota. Here, to investigate the potential of utilizing intestinal flora derived from Shiqi pigeons, the intestinal flora and body indices of Mimas squabs were evaluated after fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from donors. Methods: A total of 90 one-day-old squabs were randomly divided into the control group (CON), the low-concentration group (LC) and the high-concentration group (HC): gavaged with 200 μL of bacterial solution at concentrations of 0, 0.1, and 0.2 g/15 mL, respectively. Results: The results suggested that FMT improved the body weight of Mimas squabs in the HC and LC groups (p<0.01), and 0.1 g/15 mL was the optimal dose during FMT. After 16S rRNA sequencing was performed, compared to those in the CON group, the abundance levels of microflora, especially Lactobacillus, Muribaculaceae, and Megasphaera (p<0.05), in the FMT-treated groups were markedly greater. Random forest analysis indicated that the main functions of key microbes involve pathways associated with metabolism, further illustrating their important role in the host body. Conclusion: FMT has been determined to be a viable method for augmenting the weight and intestinal microbiota of squabs, representing a unique avenue for enhancing the economic feasibility of squab breeding.