• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2018

The gut microbiome has been studied extensively over the past decade with most scientific reports focused on the adverse role of the gut microbiome on gastrointestinal diseases. For example, the altered gut microbiome exacerbates the development of immune system-mediated damage in many diseases. The most studied pathologies include irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases, and colitis-associated cancer. On the other hand, intestinal microflora is also beneficial and contributes to the intestinal physiology by the synthesis of vitamins, production of short chain fatty acids and bile acid metabolism, thereby maintaining gut homeostasis. Therefore, the balance between commensal and pathogenic bacteria populations influences mainly the maintenance of intestinal health. Changes in the intestinal microflora have been suspected to be the underlying causes of multiple diseases. Despite the immense amount of published data, the optimal gut microbiome composition is still controversial. This review briefly outlines the connection between the gut microbiome and critical gastrointestinal diseases focusing on three prominent intestinal disorders: irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases, and colitis-associated cancer disorders. Finally, intervention strategies using natural products for the alleviation of these diseases and the maintenance of a health gut microbiome are suggested.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.78-84
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• 2017

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine shifts in the composition of the bacterial population in the intestinal tracts (ITs) of weaning piglets by antibiotic treatment using high-throughput sequencing. Methods: Sixty 28-d-old weaning piglets were randomly divided into two treatment groups. The Control group was treated with a basal diet without antibiotics. The Antibiotic group's basal diet contained colistin sulfate at a concentration of 20 g per ton and bacitracin zinc at a concentration of 40 g per ton. All of the pigs were fed for 28 days. Then, three pigs were killed, and the luminal contents of the jejunum, ileum, cecum, and colon were collected for DNA extraction and high-throughput sequencing. Results: The results showed that the average daily weight gain of the antibiotic group was significantly greater (p<0.05), and the incidence of diarrhea lower (p>0.05), than the control group. A total of 812,607 valid reads were generated. Thirty-eight operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that were found in all of the samples were defined as core OTUs. Twenty-one phyla were identified, and approximately 90% of the classifiable sequences belonged to the phylum Firmicutes. Forty-two classes were identified. Of the 232 genera identified, nine genera were identified as the core gut microbiome because they existed in all of the tracts. The proportion of the nine core bacteria varied at the different tract sites. A heat map was used to understand how the numbers of the abundant genera shifted between the two treatment groups. Conclusion: At different tract sites the relative abundance of gut microbiota was different. Antibiotics could cause shifts in the microorganism composition and affect the composition of gut microbiota in the different tracts of weaning piglets.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.1491-1499
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• 2017

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), which is transformed from trimethylamine (TMA) through hepatic flavin-containing monooxygenases, can promote atherosclerosis. TMA is produced from dietary carnitine, phosphatidylcholine, and choline via the gut microbes. Previous works have shown that some small molecules, such as allicin, resveratrol, and 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol, are used to reduce circulating TMAO levels. However, the use of bacteria as an effective therapy to reduce TMAO levels has not been reported. In the present study, 82 isolates were screened from healthy Chinese fecal samples on a basal salt medium supplemented with TMA as the sole carbon source. The isolates belonged to the family Enterobacteriaceae, particularly to genera Klebsiella, Escherichia, Cronobacter, and Enterobacter. Serum TMAO and cecal TMA levels were significantly decreased in choline-fed mice treated with Enterobacter aerogenes ZDY01 compared with those in choline-fed mice treated with phosphate-buffered saline. The proportions of Bacteroidales family S24-7 were significantly increased, whereas the proportions of Helicobacteraceae and Prevotellaceae were significantly decreased through the administration of E. aerogenes ZDY01. Results indicated that the use of probiotics to act directly on the TMA in the gut might be an alternative approach to reduce serum TMAO levels and to prevent the development of atherosclerosis and "fish odor syndrome" through the effect of TMA on the gut microbiota.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.115-125
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• 2021

Mushroom consumption causes changes in the immune system and gut microbiota via the actions of mushroom probiotic components. β-Glucan structure-related substances suppress secretion of inflammatory mediators, and induce macrophage activation, enhancing immunity and immune function. Substances other than directly useful components can be metabolized into short-chain fatty acids by gut microbiota. These short-chain fatty acids can then induce immunity, alleviating various diseases. Substances used to stimulate growth of health-promoting gut bacteria, thereby changing the gut microbiota community are defined to be probiotics. Probiotic altered intestinal microflora can prevent various types of bacterial infection from external sources, and can help to maintain immune system balance, thus preventing diseases. Research into beneficial components of Pleurotus eryngii, Lentinula edodes, Pleurotus ostreatus, Flammulina velutipes, Auricularia auricula-judae, and Agaricus bisporus, which are frequently consumed in Korea, changes in microbiota, changes in short-chain fatty acids, and correlations between consumption and health contribute to our understanding of the effects of dietary mushrooms on disease prevention and mitigation.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.220-225
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• 2019

Studies based on microbial community analyses have increased in the recent decade since the development of next generation sequencing technology. Associations of gut microbiota with host's health are one of the major outcomes of microbial ecology filed. The major approach for microbial community analysis includes the sequencing of variable regions of 16S rRNA genes, which does not provide the information of bacterial activities. Here, we conducted RNA-based microbial community analysis and compared results obtained from DNA- and its cDNA-based microbial community analyses. Our results indicated that these two approaches differed in the ratio of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, known as an obesity indicator, as well as abundance of some key bacteria in gut metabolisms such as butyrate producers and probiotics strains. Therefore, cDNA-based microbial community may provide different insights regarding roles of gut microbiota compared to the previous studies where DNA-based microbial community analyses were performed.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.1386-1396
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• 2021

Copper is an essential mineral for pigs, thus it is used as a feed additive in the forms of copper sulfate. Therefore, this study aimed at characterizing the fecal microbiota shifts in pigs as fed by different forms of copper supplementation. 40 growing pigs aged 73 ± 1 days with an average weight of 30.22 ± 1.92kg were randomly divided into 5 groups. The control group (CON) fed with basal diet, while treatment groups were fed a basal diet supplemented with 100 ppm/kg of copper sulfate (CuSO₄), Cu-glycine complex (CuGly), Cu-amino acid complex (CuAA), and Cu-hydroxy(4methylthio)butanoate chelate complex (CuHMB) for 28 days of trial, respectively. The data presented the comparison between inorganic and organic copper supplementation through gut microbiota in growing pigs. Alpha and Beta diversity anaylsis resulted in copper supplementation did shifted gut microbioal community structure. At the phylum level, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the most abundant phyla at all times regardless of treatment. At the genus level, the relative abundances of Prevotella, Lactobacillus, Megasphaera, and SMB53 of the CuGly and CuHMB groups were significantly higher than those of copper sulfate and basal diet groups. Overall, this study may provide the potential role of organic copper replacing inorganic copper, resulting in increased beneficial bacteria in the pig gut.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.659-673
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• 2023

Compared to infant formula, breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infants; it not only improves the neonatal intestinal function, but also regulates the immune system and gut microbiota composition. However, probiotic-fortified infant formula may further enhance the infant gut environment by overcoming the limitations of traditional infant formula. We investigated the probiotic formula administration for one month by comparing 118 Korean infants into the following three groups: infants in each group fed with breast milk (50), probiotic formula (35), or placebo formula-fed group (33). Probiotic formula improved stool consistency and defecation frequency compared to placebo formula-fed group. The probiotic formula helped maintaining the level of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), which had remarkably decreased over time in placebo formula-fed infants (compared to weeks 0 and 4). Moreover, probiotic formula decreased the acidity of stool and considerably increased the butyrate concentration. Furthermore, the fecal microbiota of each group was evaluated at weeks 0 and 4. The microbial composition was distinct between each groups, and the abundance of health-promoting bacteria increased in the probiotic formula compared to the placebo formula-fed group. In summary, supplementation of probiotic infant formula can help optimize the infant gut environment, microbial composition, and metabolic activity of the microbiota, mimicking those of breast milk.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.1648-1656
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• 2023

We have previously observed that feeding with single-cell hemoprotein (heme-SCP) in dogs (1 g/day for 6 days) and broiler chickens (1 ppm for 32 days) increased the proportion of lactic acid bacteria in the gut while reducing their body weights by approximately 1~2%. To define the roles of heme-SCP in modulating body weight and gut microbiota, obese C57BL/6N mice were administered varied heme-SCP concentrations (0, 0.05, and 0.5% heme-SCP in high fat diet) for 28 days. The heme-SCP diet seemed to restrain weight gain till day 14, but the mice gained weight again later, showing no significant differences in weight. However, the heme-SCP-fed mice had stiffer and oilier bodies compared with those of the control mice, which had flabby bodies and dull coats. When mice were dissected at day 10, the obese mice fed with heme-SCP exhibited a reduction in subcutaneous fat with an increase in muscle mass. The effect of heme-SCP on the obesity-associated dyslipidemia tended to be corroborated by the blood parameters (triglyceride, total cholesterol, and C-reactive protein) at day 10, though the correlation was not clear at day 28. Notably, the heme-SCP diet altered gut microbiota, leading to the proliferation of known anti-obesity biomarkers such as Akkermansia, Alistipes, Oscillibacter, Ruminococcus, Roseburia, and Faecalibacterium. This study suggests the potential of heme-SCP as an anti-obesity supplement, which modulates serum biochemistry and gut microbiota in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.66 no.2
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• pp.398-411
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• 2024

Upregulation of the nutritional value of feed is the major target of various studies in the livestock industry, and dietary enzyme supplementation could aid in digesting the nondegrading nutrients of grains in feed ingredients. Dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) is a byproduct of the fermentation process in the beverage industry and can be used as a large supply source of fiber in feed. Therefore, we conducted an experiment with male broiler chickens to investigate the effect of various types of enzymes on DDGS and compare the efficacy of single enzyme and multienzyme complexes on growth performance and gut environments in broiler chickens. We used 420 1-day-old broiler chickens (Ross 308), and they were allotted into 4 dietary treatments with seven replications (CON, corn-soybean meal [SBM] diet; NC, DDGS supplemented diet; SE, 0.05 % of mannanase supplemented DDGS-based diet; MC, 0.10% of multienzyme complex (mannanase and xylanase, glucanase) supplemented DDGS-based diet. The dietary exogenous enzyme in the DDGS-supplemented diet could improve growth performance as much as the growth of the control group, and digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and gross energy were significantly increased by enzyme addition in groups of chicks fed DDGS-supplementation diet. Moreover, the populations of pathogenic bacteria, coliforms, and Bacteroidetes were significantly decreased by enzyme supplementation, which might lead to improved gut mucus-secreting cells and inflammatory cytokines in the jejunum. Collectively, dietary single enzyme and multienzyme complexes could improve gut environments, including intestinal immune responses and gut microbial population, and lead to improvement of growth performance in broiler chickens.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.1299-1306
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• 2024

Antibiotics are used to control infectious diseases. However, adverse effects of antibiotics, such as devastation of the gut microbiota and enhancement of the inflammatory response, have been reported. Health benefits of fermented milk are established and can be enhanced by the addition of probiotic strains. In this study, we evaluated effects of fermented milk containing Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus) SNUG50430 in a mouse model with antibiotic treatment. Fermented milk containing 2 × 10⁵ colony-forming units of L. rhamnosus SNUG50430 was administered to six week-old female BALB/c mice for 1 week. Interleukin (IL)-10 levels in colon samples were significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared to water-treated mice, whereas interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were decreased, of mice treated with fermented milk containing L. rhamnosus SNUG50430-antibiotics-treated (FM+LR+Abx-treated) mice. Phylum Firmicutes composition in the gut was restored and the relative abundances of several bacteria, including the genera Coprococcus and Lactobacillus, were increased in FM+LR+Abx-treated mice compared to PBS+Abx-treated mice. Interestingly, abundances of genus Coprococcus and Lactobacillus were positively correlated with IL-5 and IL-10 levels (P < 0.05) in colon samples and negative correlated with IFN-γ and TNF-α levels in serum samples (P < 0.001). Acetate and butyrate were increased in mice with fermented milk and fecal microbiota of FM+LR+Abx-treated mice were highly enriched with butyrate metabolism pathway compared to water-treated mice (P < 0.05). Thus, fermented milk containing L. rhamnosus SNUG50430 was shown to ameliorate adverse health effects caused by antibiotics through modulating immune responses and the gut microbiota.