Genomic Characterization and Functional Evaluation of <i>Eurotium cristatum</i> EC-520: Impacts on Colon Barrier Integrity, Gut Microbiota, and Metabolite Profile in Rats.

ABSTRACT: Eurotium cristatum (EC), the dominant fungus in Fuzhuan brick tea, has significant applications in food fermentation and pharmaceutical industries, exhibiting probiotic properties, but further investigation of its intestinal benefits is required. This study characterized the EC-520 strain through whole genome sequencing and evaluated its effects on rat colons using histomorphology, 16S rRNA sequencing, and untargeted metabolomics. The genomic analysis revealed that EC-520 possessed a 28.37 Mb genome distantly related to Aspergillus flavus. The 16S results demonstrated that EC-520 significantly increased the abundance of Bacteroidota (p < 0.05) while decreasing the Proteobacteria and Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio (the F/B ratio); at the genus level,

SUBMITTER: Wu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12071741 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature