Project description:Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly becoming the most common liver disease worldwide, yet the pathogenesis of NAFLD is only partially understood. Here, we investigated the role of the gut bacteria in NAFLD by stimulating the gut bacteria via feeding mice the fermentable dietary fiber guar gum and suppressing the gut bacteria via chronic oral administration of antibiotics. Guar gum feeding profoundly altered the gut microbiota composition, in parallel with reduced diet-induced obesity and improved glucose tolerance. Strikingly, despite reducing adipose tissue mass and inflammation, guar gum enhanced hepatic inflammation and fibrosis, concurrent with markedly elevated plasma and hepatic bile acid levels. Consistent with a role of elevated bile acids in the liver phenotype, treatment of mice with taurocholic acid stimulated hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. In contrast to guar gum, chronic oral administration of antibiotics effectively suppressed the gut bacteria, decreased portal secondary bile acid levels, and attenuated hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. Neither guar gum or antibiotics influenced plasma lipopolysaccharide levels. In conclusion, our data indicate a causal link between changes in gut microbiota and hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in a mouse model of NAFLD, possibly via alterations in bile acids.
Project description:Guar gum consists mainly of galactomannan, and constitutes the endosperm of guar seeds that acts as a reserve polysaccharide for germination. Due to its molecular structure and physical properties, this biopolymer has been considered as one of the most important and widely used gums in industry. However, for many of these applications this (hemi-)cellulosic structure needs to be modified or (partially) depolymerized in order to customize and improve its physicochemical properties. In this study, transcriptome was employed to decipher the complete enzymatic arsenal for guar gum depolymerization by Aspergillus niger.
Project description:Cancer cachexia and the associated skeletal muscle wasting are considered poor prognostic factors, although effective treatment has not yet been established. Recent studies have indicated that the pathogenesis of skeletal muscle loss may involve dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and the accompanying chronic inflammation or altered metabolism. In this study, we evaluated the possible effects of modifying the gut microenvironment with partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG), a soluble dietary fiber, on cancer-related muscle wasting and its mechanism using a colon-26 murine cachexia model. Compared to a fiber-free (FF) diet, PHGG contained fiber-rich (FR) diet attenuated skeletal muscle loss in cachectic mice by suppressing the elevation of the major muscle-specific ubiquitin ligases Atrogin-1 and MuRF1, as well as the autophagy markers LC3 and Bnip3. Although tight junction markers were partially reduced in both FR and FF diet-fed cachectic mice, the abundance of Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, and unclassified S24-7 family increased by FR diet, contributing to the retention of the colonic mucus layer. The reinforcement of the gut barrier function resulted in the controlled entry of pathogens into the host system and reduced circulating levels of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) and IL-6, which in turn led to the suppression of proteolysis by downregulating the ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagy pathway. These results suggest that dietary fiber may have the potential to alleviate skeletal muscle loss in cancer cachexia, providing new insights for developing effective strategies in the future.
Project description:Numerous cytokines have been shown to affect epithelial cell differentiation and proliferation through epithelial-mesenchymal interaction. Growing evidence suggests that platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling is an important mediator of these interactions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of PDGF-α on enterocyte turnover in a rat model of short bowel syndrome (SBS). Male rats were divided into four groups: Sham rats underwent bowel transection, Sham-PDGF-α rats underwent bowel transection and were treated with PDGF-α, SBS rats underwent a 75% bowel resection, and SBS-PDGF-α rats underwent bowel resection and were treated with PDGF-α. Parameters of intestinal adaptation, enterocyte proliferation and apoptosis were determined at sacrifice. Illumina's Digital Gene Expression (DGE) analysis was used to determine PDGF-related gene expression profiling. PDGF-α and PDGF-α receptor (PDGFR-α) expression was determined using Real Time PCR. Western blotting was used to determine p-ERK, Akt1/2/3, bax and bcl-2 protein levels. SBS rats demonstrated a significant increase in PDGF-α and PDGFR-α expression in jejunum and ileum compared to sham animals. SBS-PDGF-α rats demonstrated a significant increase in bowel and mucosal weight, villus height and crypt depth in jejunum and ileum compared to SBS animals. PDGF-α expression in crypts increased in SBS rats (vs sham) and was accompanied by increased cell proliferation following PDGF-α administration. A significant decrease in cell apoptosis in this group was correlated with lower bax protein levels. In conclusion, in a rat model of SBS, PDGF-α stimulates enterocyte turnover, which is correlated with up-regulated PDGF-α receptor expression in the remaining small intestine. Animals were divided randomly into two experimental groups of 6 rats each. Group A rats underwent bowel transection and re-anastomosis (Sham), Group B animals underwent 75% bowel resection (SBS). Due to the quality of DNA, we performed final analysis from 5 jejunal samples (1 sham and 4 resected rats) and from 7 ileal samples (3 sham and 4 resected rats). Illumina's Digital Gene Expression (DGE) analysis using Illumina Rat Quad BeadChips was used to determine PDGF-related gene expression profiling.
Project description:Numerous cytokines have been shown to affect epithelial cell differentiation and proliferation through epithelial-mesenchymal interaction. Growing evidence suggests that platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling is an important mediator of these interactions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of PDGF-α on enterocyte turnover in a rat model of short bowel syndrome (SBS). Male rats were divided into four groups: Sham rats underwent bowel transection, Sham-PDGF-α rats underwent bowel transection and were treated with PDGF-α, SBS rats underwent a 75% bowel resection, and SBS-PDGF-α rats underwent bowel resection and were treated with PDGF-α. Parameters of intestinal adaptation, enterocyte proliferation and apoptosis were determined at sacrifice. Illumina's Digital Gene Expression (DGE) analysis was used to determine PDGF-related gene expression profiling. PDGF-α and PDGF-α receptor (PDGFR-α) expression was determined using Real Time PCR. Western blotting was used to determine p-ERK, Akt1/2/3, bax and bcl-2 protein levels. SBS rats demonstrated a significant increase in PDGF-α and PDGFR-α expression in jejunum and ileum compared to sham animals. SBS-PDGF-α rats demonstrated a significant increase in bowel and mucosal weight, villus height and crypt depth in jejunum and ileum compared to SBS animals. PDGF-α expression in crypts increased in SBS rats (vs sham) and was accompanied by increased cell proliferation following PDGF-α administration. A significant decrease in cell apoptosis in this group was correlated with lower bax protein levels. In conclusion, in a rat model of SBS, PDGF-α stimulates enterocyte turnover, which is correlated with up-regulated PDGF-α receptor expression in the remaining small intestine.