Diet-induced alterations of host cholesterol metabolism are likely to affect the gut microbiota composition in hamsters.

ABSTRACT: The gastrointestinal microbiota affects the metabolism of the mammalian host and has consequences for health. However, the complexity of gut microbial communities and host metabolic pathways make functional connections difficult to unravel, especially in terms of causation. In this study, we have characterized the fecal microbiota of hamsters whose cholesterol metabolism was extensively modulated by the dietary addition of plant sterol esters (PSE). PSE intake induced dramatic shifts in the fecal microbiota, reducing several bacterial taxa within the families Coriobacteriaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae. The abundance of these taxa displayed remarkably high correlations with host cholesterol metabolites. Most importantly, the associations between several bacterial taxa with fecal and biliary

SUBMITTER: Martinez I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3553751 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature