Project description:Lactoferrin (LF) and osteopontin (OPN) are key bioactive milk proteins with significant immune-modulatory, gut, and systemic health benefits. Using a microarrayed high-throughput 3D intestinal organoid platform, we evaluated the bioavailability and uptake of bovine LF-OPN soluble complexes (SC) and complex coacervates (CC) in vitro.
Project description:Many functions in host���microbiota interactions are potentially influenced by intestinal transit times, but little is known about the effects of altered transition times on the composition and functionality of gut microbiota. To analyze these effects, we cultivated the model community SIHUMIx in bioreactors in order to determine the effects of varying transit times (TT) on the community structure and function. After five days of continuous cultivation, we investigated the influence of different medium TT of 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h. For profiling the microbial community, we applied flow cytometric fingerprinting and revealed changes in the community structure of SIHUMIx during the change of TT, which were not associated with changes in species abundances. For pinpointing metabolic alterations, we applied metaproteomics and metabolomics and found, along with shortening the TT, a slight decrease in glycan biosynthesis, carbohydrate, and amino acid metabolism and, furthermore, a reduction in butyrate, methyl butyrate, isobutyrate, valerate, and isovalerate concentrations. Specifically, B. thetaiotaomicron was identified to be affected in terms of butyrate metabolism. However, communities could recover to the original state afterward. This study shows that SIHUMIx showed high structural stability when TT changed���even four-fold. Resistance values remained high, which suggests that TTs did not interfere with the structure of the community to a certain degree.
Project description:Objective: Roux-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is a last treatment resort to induce substantial and sustained weight loss in severe obesity. The anatomical rearrangement affects the intestinal microbiota but so far, little information is available how it interferes with microbial functionality and microbial-host interaction independent from weight loss. Design: A RYGB rat model was utilized and compared to sham-operated controls which were kept at matched body weight as RYGB animals by food restriction. We assessed microbial taxonomy by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and functional activity by metaproteomics and metabolomics on microbiota samples collected separately from the ileum, the cecum as well as the colon and separately analysed the lumen and mucus associated microbiota. Results: Altered gut architecture in RYGB strongly affected the occurrence of Actinobacteria, especially Bifidobacteriaceae and Proteobacteria which were increased, whereas Firmicutes were decreased, although Streptococcaceae and Clostridium perfringens were observed at higher abundances. A decrease of conjugated as well as secondary bile acids was observed in the RYGB-gut lumen. In addition the arginine biosynthesis pathway in the microbiota was altered, indicated by the changes in abundance of upstream metabolites and enzymes, resulting in lower levels of arginine and higher levels of aspartate in the colon after RYGB. Conclusion: The anatomical rearrangement in RYGB affects microbiota composition and functionality by changes in amino acid and bile acid metabolism, independent of weight loss. The shift in microbiota taxonomic structure after RYGB may be mediated by the resulting change in composition of the bile acid pool in the gut lumen.