Combination of soya pulp and Bacillus coagulans lilac-01 improves intestinal bile acid metabolism without impairing the effects of prebiotics in rats fed a cholic acid-supplemented diet.

Intestinal bacteria are involved in bile acid (BA) deconjugation and/or dehydroxylation and are responsible for the production of secondary BA. However, an increase in the production of secondary BA modulates the intestinal microbiota due to the bactericidal effects and promotes cancer risk in the liver and colon. The ingestion of Bacillus coagulans improves constipation via the activation of bowel movement to promote defaecation in humans, which may alter BA metabolism in the intestinal contents.

Conversion of cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid into their 7-oxo derivatives by Bacteroides intestinalis AM-1 isolated from human feces.

Secondary bile acid-producing bacteria were isolated from human feces to improve our appreciation of the functional diversity and redundancy of the intestinal microbiota. In total, 619 bacterial colonies were isolated using a nutrient-poor agar medium and the level of secondary bile acid formation was examined in each by a liquid culture, followed by thin-layer chromatography. Of five strains analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and biochemical testing, one was identified as Bacteroides intestinalis AM-1, which was not previously recognized as a secondary bile-acid producer.

Pediococcus pentosaceus NB-17 for probiotic use.

The plant-derived Pediococcus pentosaceus NB-17 was isolated from Japanese traditional vegetable pickles. The production of cytokines from mouse spleen cells co-cultivated with heat-killed bacteria was investigated in vitro. The bacteria significantly induced secretion levels of interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-12 p70, and suppressed IL-4 productions in ovalbumin (OVA) sensitized mouse spleen cells.

Asaccharobacter celatus gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from rat caecum.

An obligately anaerobic and equol-producing bacterium, designated strain do03T, was isolated from the caecal content of a rat. Cells were Gram-positive, non-spore-forming rods. The results from a phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain do03T formed a separate line of descent in the phylogenetic cluster of the family Coriobacteriaceae.

Production of equol from daidzein by gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium isolated from rat intestine.

Isoflavones (mainly daidzein and genistin) belong to the flavonoid group of compounds and are classified as phytoestrogens. In the intestine, daidzin is converted to daidzein by beta-glucosidase, and then daidzein is converted to O-desmethylangolensin (O-DMA) or equol via dihydrodaidzein by enzymes of intestinal bacteria. We isolated, for the first time, an anaerobic gram-positive rod-shaped strain capable of producing equol from daidzein.

Effects of long-term ingestion of difructose anhydride III (DFA III) on intestinal bacteria and bile acid metabolism in humans.

Changes in the intestinal microbiota of 10 human subjects with long-term ingestion of 3 g/d difructose anhydride III (DFA III; 4 persons, 2 months; 3 persons, 6 months; and 3 persons, 12 months) were examined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). According to the answers to questionnaires, the subjects were divided into two groups (constipated and normal). The DGGE profile was different for every individual and each subject had unique profiles of intestinal microbiota.

Effects of ingestion of difructose anhydride III (DFA III) and the DFA III-assimilating bacterium Ruminococcus productus on rat intestine.

We have isolated a difructose anhydride III (DFA III)-assimilating bacterium, Ruminococcus productus AHU1760, from human. After an acclimation period of 1 week, male Sprague-Dawley rats (5 weeks old) were divided into four groups (control diet, R. productus diet, DFA III diet, and R.

Effects of difructose anhydride III (DFA III) administration on bile acids and growth of DFA III-assimilating bacterium Ruminococcus productus on rat intestine.

The growth of DFA III-assimilating bacteria in the intestines of rats fed 3% DFA III for 2 weeks was examined. Sixty-four percent of the DFA III intake had been assimilated on day 3 of ingestion, and almost all of the DFA III was assimilated at the end of the experiment. The DFA III-assimilating bacterium, Ruminococcus productus, in DFA III-fed rats was in the stationary state of 10(8)-10(9) cells/g dry feces within a week from 10(6) cells/g dry feces on day 1 of DFA III ingestion.

Effects of difructose anhydride III (DFA III) administration on rat intestinal microbiota.

The effects of difructose anhydride III (di-D-fructofuranose-1,2':2,3'-dianhydride; DFA III) administration (3% DFA III for 4 weeks) on rat intestinal microbiota were examined using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). According to DGGE profiles, the number of bacteria related to Bacteroides acidofaciens and uncultured bacteria within the Clostridium lituseburense group decreased, while that of bacteria related to Bacteroides vulgatus, Bacteroides uniformis and Ruminococcus productus increased in DFA III-fed rat cecum. In the cecal contents of DFA III-fed rats, a lowering of pH and an increase in short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), especially acetic acid, were observed.

The effects of di-D-fructofuranose-1,2':2,3'-dianhydride (DFA III) administration on human intestinal microbiota.

Di-D-fructofuranose-1,2':2,3'-dianhydride (DFA III) was shown to enhance Ca absorption in rat and human intestine. The effects of DFA III administration (9 g per day for 4 weeks that corresponded to 3-fold the optimal dosage of DFA III) on human intestinal microbiota were studied using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The major groups of human intestinal microbiota reported previously: the Bacteroides, the Clostridium coccoides group (Clostridium cluster XIVa), the Clostridium leptum group (Clostridium cluster IV), and the Bifidobacterium group were detected.