Project description:Opioids such as morphine have many beneficial properties as analgesics, however, opioids may induce multiple adverse gastrointestinal symptoms. We have recently demonstrated that morphine treatment results in significant disruption in gut barrier function leading to increased translocation of gut commensal bacteria. However, it is unclear how opioids modulate the gut homeostasis. By using a mouse model of morphine treatment, we studied effects of morphine treatment on gut microbiome. We characterized phylogenetic profiles of gut microbes, and found a significant shift in the gut microbiome and increase of pathogenic bacteria following morphine treatment when compared to placebo. In the present study, wild type mice (C57BL/6J) were implanted with placebo, morphine pellets subcutaneously. Fecal matter were taken for bacterial 16s rDNA sequencing analysis at day 3 post treatment. A scatter plot based on an unweighted UniFrac distance matrics obtained from the sequences at OTU level with 97% similarity showed a distinct clustering of the community composition between the morphine and placebo treated groups. By using the chao1 index to evaluate alpha diversity (that is diversity within a group) and using unweighted UniFrac distance to evaluate beta diversity (that is diversity between groups, comparing microbial community based on compositional structures), we found that morphine treatment results in a significant decrease in alpha diversity and shift in fecal microbiome at day 3 post treatment compared to placebo treatment. Taxonomical analysis showed that morphine treatment results in a significant increase of potential pathogenic bacteria. Our study shed light on effects of morphine on the gut microbiome, and its role in the gut homeostasis.
Project description:Morphine and its pharmacological derivatives are the most prescribed analgesics for moderate to severe pain management. However, chronic use of morphine reduces pathogen clearance and induces bacterial translocation across the gut barrier. The enteric microbiome has been shown to play a critical role in the preservation of the mucosal barrier function and metabolic homeostasis. Here, we show for the first time, using bacterial 16s rDNA sequencing, that chronic morphine treatment significantly alters the gut microbial composition and induces preferential expansion of the gram-positive pathogenic and reduction of bile-deconjugating bacterial strains. A significant reduction in both primary and secondary bile acid levels was seen in the gut, but not in the liver with morphine treatment. Morphine induced microbial dysbiosis and gut barrier disruption was rescued by transplanting placebo-treated microbiota into morphine-treated animals, indicating that microbiome modulation could be exploited as a therapeutic strategy for patients using morphine for pain management. In this study, we establish a link between the two phenomena, namely gut barrier compromise and dysregulated bile acid metabolism. We show for the first time that morphine fosters significant gut microbial dysbiosis and disrupts cholesterol/bile acid metabolism. Changes in the gut microbial composition is strongly correlated to disruption in host inflammatory homeostasis13,14 and in many diseases (e.g. cancer/HIV infection), persistent inflammation is known to aid and promote the progression of the primary morbidity. We show here that chronic morphine, gut microbial dysbiosis, disruption of cholesterol/bile acid metabolism and gut inflammation; have a linear correlation. This opens up the prospect of devising minimally invasive adjunct treatment strategies involving microbiome and bile acid modulation and thus bringing down morphine-mediated inflammation in the host.
Project description:Gut microbial profiling of uterine fibroids (UFs) patients comparing control subjects. The gut microbiota was examined by 16S rRNA quantitative arrays and bioinformatics analysis. The goal was to reveal alterations in the gut microbiome of uterine fibroids patients.
Project description:The gut microbiome plays an important role in normal immune function and has been implicated in several autoimmune disorders. Here we use high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing to investigate the gut microbiome in subjects with multiple sclerosis (MS, n=61) and healthy controls (n=43). Alterations in the gut microbiome in MS include increases in the genera Methanobrevibacter and Akkermansia and decreases in Butyricimonas, and correlate with variations in the expression of genes involved in dendritic cell maturation, interferon signaling and NF-kB signaling pathways in circulating T cells and monocytes. Patients on disease-modifying treatment show increased abundances of the genera Prevotella and Sutterella, and decreased Sarcina, compared to untreated patients. MS patients of a second cohort show elevated breath methane compared to controls, consistent with our observation of increased gut Methanobrevibacter in MS in the first cohort. Further study is required to assess whether the observed alterations in the gut microbiome play a role in, or are a consequence of, MS pathogenesis.
Project description:The human gut is colonized by trillions of microorganisms that influence human health and disease through the metabolism of xenobiotics, including therapeutic drugs and antibiotics. The diversity and metabolic potential of the human gut microbiome have been extensively characterized, but it remains unclear which microorganisms are active and which perturbations can influence this activity. Here, we use flow cytometry, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and metatranscriptomics to demonstrate that the human gut contains distinctive subsets of active and damaged microorganisms, primarily composed of Firmicutes, which display marked temporal variation. Short-term exposure to a panel of xenobiotics resulted in significant changes in the physiology and gene expression of this active microbiome. Xenobiotic-responsive genes were found across multiple bacterial phyla, encoding novel candidate proteins for antibiotic resistance, drug metabolism, and stress response. These results demonstrate the power of moving beyond DNA-based measurements of microbial communities to better understand their physiology and metabolism. RNA-Seq analysis of the human gut microbiome during exposure to antibiotics and therapeutic drugs.
Project description:Long-term dietary intake influences the structure and activity of the trillions of microorganisms residing in the human gut, but it remains unclear how rapidly and reproducibly the human gut microbiome responds to short-term macronutrient change. Here we show that the short-term consumption of diets composed entirely of animal or plant products alters microbial community structure and overwhelms inter-individual differences in microbial gene expression. The animal-based diet increased the abundance of bile-tolerant microorganisms (Alistipes, Bilophila and Bacteroides) and decreased the levels of Firmicutes that metabolize dietary plant polysaccharides (Roseburia, Eubacterium rectale and Ruminococcus bromii). Microbial activity mirrored differences between herbivorous and carnivorous mammals, reflecting trade-offs between carbohydrate and protein fermentation. Foodborne microbes from both diets transiently colonized the gut, including bacteria, fungi and even viruses. Finally, increases in the abundance and activity of Bilophila wadsworthia on the animal-based diet support a link between dietary fat, bile acids and the outgrowth of microorganisms capable of triggering inflammatory bowel disease. In concert, these results demonstrate that the gut microbiome can rapidly respond to altered diet, potentially facilitating the diversity of human dietary lifestyles. RNA-Seq analysis of the human gut microbiome during consumption of a plant- or animal-based diet.
Project description:Pregnancy appears to accelerate mortality associated with infectious diseases; however, the underlying mechanism of the crosstalk between pregnancy and sepsis remains poorly understood. Integrated multiomics analysis of gut microbiome revealed that the abundances of Parabacteroides merdae and its-derived formononetin (FMN) were decreased during pregnancy. Here, we verified that gut microbiota dysbiosis during pregnancy exacerbated immune exhaustion caused by sepsis through accelerating macrophage pyroptosis. Mechanistically, FMN suppressed nucleus-accumulation of hnRNPUL2 to prevent it from binding to Nlrp3 promoter region, thus to inhibit priming of NLRP3 inflammasome. Genetic knockdown of murine hnRNPUL2 by an adeno-associated virus protected against sepsis. Intriguingly, the abundances of Parabacteroides merdae and FMN in feces were negatively correlated with the progression of septic patients. Our data highlighted the significance of FMN/hnRNPUL2/NLRP3 axis mediated by dysbiosis of Parabacteroides merdae in immune exhaustion of pregnant septic hosts, shedding light on promising therapeutic strategies for the treatment of sepsis.
Project description:Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) is the leading cause of gynecologic cancer death. Despite many patients achieving remission with first-line therapy, up to 80% of patients will recur and require additional treatment. Retrospective clinical analysis of OC patients indicates antibiotic use during chemotherapy treatment is associated with poor overall survival. We assessed whether antibiotic (ABX) therapy would impact growth of EOC and sensitivity to cisplatin in murine models. Immune competent or compromised mice were given control or ABX containing water (metronidazole, ampicillin, vancomycin, and neomycin) before being intraperitoneally injected with murine EOC cells. Stool was collected to confirm microbiome disruption and tumors were monitored, and cisplatin therapy was administered weekly until endpoint. EOC tumor-bearing mice demonstrate accelerated tumor growth and resistance to cisplatin therapy in ABX treated compared with nonABX treatment. Stool analysis indicated most gut microbial species were disrupted by ABX treatment except for ABX resistant bacteria. To test for role of the gut microbiome, cecal microbiome transplants (CMTs) of microbiota derived from ABX or nonABX treated mice were used to recolonize the microbiome of ABX treated mice. nonABX cecal microbiome was sufficient to ameliorate the chemoresistance and survival of ABX treated mice indicative of a gut derived tumor suppressor. Mechanistically, tumors from ABX treated compared to nonABX treated mice contained a high frequency of cancer stem cells that were augmented by cisplatin. These studies indicate an intact microbiome provides a gut derived tumor suppressor and maintains chemosensitivity that is disrupted by ABX treatment.
Project description:Opioid analgesics are frequently prescribed in the United States and worldwide. However, serious side effects such as addiction, immunosuppression and gastrointestinal symptoms limit long term use. In the current study using a chronic morphine-murine model a longitudinal approach was undertaken to investigate the role of morphine modulation of gut microbiome as a mechanism contributing to the negative consequences associated with opioids use. The results revealed a significant shift in the gut microbiome and metabolome within 24 hours following morphine treatment when compared to placebo. Morphine induced gut microbial dysbiosis exhibited distinct characteristic signatures profiles including significant increase in communities associated with pathogenic function, decrease in communities associated with stress tolerance. Collectively, these results reveal opioids-induced distinct alteration of gut microbiome, may contribute to opioids-induced pathogenesis. Therapeutics directed at these targets may prolong the efficacy long term opioid use with fewer side effects.
Project description:The mammalian gastrointestinal tract contains a diverse ecosystem of microbial species collectively making up the gut microbiome. Emerging evidence highlights a critical relationship between gut microbiota and neurocognitive development. Consumption of unhealthy yet palatable dietary factors associated with obesity and metabolic dysfunction (e.g., saturated fat, added sugar) produces microbiota dysbiosis and negatively impacts neurocognitive function, particularly when consumed during early life developmental periods. Here we explore whether excessive early life consumption of added sugars negatively impacts neurocognitive development via the gut microbiome. Using a rodent model of habitual sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption during the adolescent stage of development, we first show that excessive early life sugar intake impairs hippocampal-dependent memory function when tested during adulthood while preserving other neurocognitive domains. Gut microbiome genomic sequencing analyses reveal that early life SSB consumption alters the abundance of various bacterial populations, including elevations in operational taxonomic units within the genus Parabacteroides (P. distasonis and P. johnsonii) whose abundance negatively correlated with memory task performance. Additional results reveal that in vivo Parabacteroides enrichment of cultured P. distasonis and P. johnsonii bacterial species in adolescent rats severely impairs memory function during adulthood. Hippocampus transcriptome analyses identify gene expression alterations in neurotransmitter synaptic signaling, intracellular kinase signaling, metabolic function, neurodegenerative disease, and dopaminergic synaptic signaling-associated pathways as potential mechanisms linking microbiome outcomes with memory impairment. Collectively these results identify microbiota dysbiosis as a mechanism through which early life unhealthy dietary patterns negatively impact neurocognitive outcomes.