• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.91-103
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• 2022

Background: Red ginseng extract boosts immunity against inflammation and cancer in the human body. However, studies on the effects of red ginseng extract on the gut microbiome remain unexplored. Methods: In 2019, the positive effects and changes in the gut microbiome after administering 1 pack (3 g) of red ginseng extract per day to 53 adults aged 40 to 75 for 24 weeks were investigated. The gut microbial environment changes were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using next-generation sequencing and real-time polymerase chain reaction technology. Results: On comparing and analyzing alpha diversity and beta diversity, the microbial pattern showed significant differences (OTUs p = 0.003, chao1 p < 0.001, Bray-Curtis p = 0.001) before and after ingestion of red ginseng extract, indicating that gut microbial richness increased after ingestion. Moreover, after comparing and analyzing the gut microbiome's differences after red ginseng extract intake, significant differences were noted between three strains at the phylum level and among 57 strains at the genus level. Conclusion: This study proposes the potential use of red ginseng extract as a prebiotic after confirming its positive effects, including increasing gut microbiome richness, reducing harm to the gut microbiome, and increasing the number of some strains in the gut microbiome.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.89-98
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• 2024

This review delved into the intricate relationship between the gastrointestinal microbiome and gastric cancer, particularly focusing on post-treatment alterations, notably following gastrectomy, and the effects of anticancer therapies. Following gastrectomy, analysis of fecal samples revealed an increased presence of oral cavity aerotolerant and bile acid-transforming bacteria in the intestine. Similar changes were observed in the gastric microbiome, highlighting significant alterations in taxon abundance and emphasizing the reciprocal interaction between the oral and gastric microbiomes. In contrast, the impact of chemotherapy and immunotherapy on the gut microbiome was subtle, although discernible differences were noted between treatment responders and non-responders. Certain bacterial taxa showed promise as potential prognostic markers. Notably, probiotics emerged as a promising approach for postgastrectomy recovery, displaying the capacity to alleviate inflammation, bolster immune responses, and maintain a healthy gut microbiome. Several strains, including Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Clostridium butyricum, exhibited favorable outcomes in postoperative patients, suggesting their potential roles in comprehensive patient care. In conclusion, understanding the intricate interplay between the gastrointestinal microbiome and gastric cancer treatment offers prospects for predicting responses and enhancing postoperative recovery. Probiotics, with their positive impact on inflammation and immunity, have emerged as potential adjuncts in patient care. Continued research is imperative to fully harness the potential of microbiome-based interventions in the management of gastric cancer.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.723-750
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• 2023

The gut microbiome is critical in human health, and various dietary factors influence its composition and function. Among these factors, animal products, such as meat, dairy, and eggs, represent crucial sources of essential nutrients for the gut microbiome. However, the correlation and characteristics of livestock consumption with the gut microbiome remain poorly understood. This review aimed to delineate the distinct effects of meat, dairy, and egg products on gut microbiome composition and function. Based on the previous reports, the impact of red meat, white meat, and processed meat consumption on the gut microbiome differs from that of milk, yogurt, cheese, or egg products. In particular, we have focused on animal-originated proteins, a significant nutrient in each livestock product, and revealed that the major proteins in each food elicit diverse effects on the gut microbiome. Collectively, this review highlights the need for further insights into the interactions and mechanisms underlying the impact of animal products on the gut microbiome. A deeper understanding of these interactions would be beneficial in elucidating the development of dietary interventions to prevent and treat diseases linked to the gut microbiome.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.648-656
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• 2024

On the skin, the microbiome, which includes bacteria, viruses, and fungi, coexist with human cells. Microbiome cosmetics are being developed actively in the field of skin and cosmetics recently. The skin microbiome is very diverse, and although the composition ratio and habitat are different, it nourishes the skin or restricts the proliferation of pathogens, which are competitors, through interactions in various ways. However, if the balance is broken, it can contribute to the destruction of immune homeostasis and lead to the development of skin diseases. Accordingly, this paper can be used as important data for the skin microbiome market, which has great future growth potential, by understanding the role and research trends of the skin microbiome, which is a symbiotic relationship with our skin, and by examining industrial trends in biological materials that help the microbiome balance.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.77-83
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• 2020

In the oral cavity, complex microbial community is shaped by various host and environmental factors. Extensive literature describing the oral microbiome in the context of oral health and disease is available. Advances in DNA sequencing technologies and data analysis have drastically improved the analysis of the oral microbiome. For microbiome study, bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplification and sequencing is often employed owing to the cost-effective and fast nature of the method. In this review, practical considerations for performing a microbiome study, including experimental design, molecular analysis technology, and general data analysis, will be discussed.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.24.1-24.8
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• 2019

Early environmental exposure is recognized as a key factor for long-term health based on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis. It considers that early-life nutrition is now being recognized as a major contributor that may permanently program change of organ structure and function toward the development of diseases, in which epigenetic mechanisms are involved. Recent researches indicate early-life environmental factors modulate the microbiome development and the microbiome might be mediate diet-epigenetic interaction. This review aims to define which nutrients involve microbiome development during the critical window of susceptibility to disease, and how microbiome modulation regulates epigenetic changes and influences human health and future prevention strategies.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.6.1-6.9
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• 2019

Understanding the role of the microbiome in human health and how it can be modulated is becoming increasingly relevant for preventive medicine and for the medical management of chronic diseases. The development of high-throughput sequencing technologies has boosted microbiome research through the study of microbial genomes and allowing a more precise quantification of microbiome abundances and function. Microbiome data analysis is challenging because it involves high-dimensional structured multivariate sparse data and because of its compositional nature. In this review we outline some of the procedures that are most commonly used for microbiome analysis and that are implemented in R packages. We place particular emphasis on the compositional structure of microbiome data. We describe the principles of compositional data analysis and distinguish between standard methods and those that fit into compositional data analysis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.86 no.3
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• pp.166-175
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• 2023

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The lower airways contain a rich and diverse microbiome, which may play a significant regulatory role in both health and disease. In COPD, the microbiome becomes perturbed, causing dysbiosis. Increased representation of members in the Proteobacteria phylum and certain members in the Firmicutes phylum has been associated with increased risk of exacerbations and mortality. Therapies such as inhaled corticosteroids and azithromycin may modulate the airway microbiome or its metabolites in patients with COPD. This paper provides an up-to-date overview of the airway microbiome and its importance in the pathophysiology of COPD and as potential therapeutic target in the future.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.757-764
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• 2024

Despite considerable advancements achieved using next-generation sequencing technologies in exploring microbial diversity, several species of the gut microbiome remain unknown. In this transformative era, culturomics has risen to prominence as a pivotal approach in unveiling realms of microbial diversity that were previously deemed inaccessible. Utilizing innovative strategies to optimize growth and culture medium composition, scientists have successfully cultured hard-tocultivate microbes. This progress has fostered the discovery and understanding of elusive microbial entities, highlighting their essential role in human health and disease paradigms. In this review, we emphasize the importance of culturomics research on the gut microbiome and provide new theories and insights for expanding microbial diversity via the optimization of cultivation conditions.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.119-138
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to review the clinical research of the gut microbiome for respiratory diseases to assist the design of trials for respiratory diseases by regulating the gut microbiome with herbal medicine later. Methods: We searched three international databases (PubMed, CENTRAL and EMBASE) to investigate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the gut microbiome for respiratory diseases. The selected trials were analyzed by study design, subject diseases, inclusion/exclusion criteria, sample size, study period, intervention group, control group, outcome measures, and study results. Results: A total of 25 studies were included and published from 1994 to 2021 mostly in Europe and Asia. Subject diseases were many in the order of respiratory tract infection, cystic fibrosis, allergy, and so on. As outcome measures, the gut microbiome in a fecal sample was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing analysis method, and symptom assessment tools related each disease were used. Major intervention drugs were probiotics and the results were mostly improved in the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome. Conclusion: Clinical studies of the gut microbiome for respiratory diseases have confirmed various effects and this review provides basic data for a well-designed clinical study for respiratory diseases by regulating the gut microbiome with herbal medicine.