Elucidation of the fucose metabolism of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG by metabolomic and flux balance analyses.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is one of the most widely used probiotics because of its health benefits and safety. Fucose is among the most abundant hexoses in the human intestine, and LGG consumes fucose to produce energy or proliferate. However, no study has elucidated the metabolism by which LGG metabolizes fucose to produce energy, biomass, and extracellular metabolites.

Strain engineering and metabolic flux analysis of a probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii for metabolizing L-fucose, a mammalian mucin component.

Background: Saccharomyces boulardii is a probiotic yeast that exhibits antimicrobial and anti-toxin activities. Although S. boulardii has been clinically used for decades to treat gastrointestinal disorders, several studies have reported weak or no beneficial effects of S.

GC-TOF/MS-Based Metabolomics for Comparison of Volar and Non-Volar Skin Types.

Skin has heterogenous identities on different body sites despite similar cellular compositions. There are two types of skin, volar (palmoplantar) and non-volar (dorsal), which are characterized by epidermal thickness, pigmentation, and presence of hair follicles. However, the mechanisms underlying the development of these different skin types remain unclear.

Metabolic discrimination of synovial fluid between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis using gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) are clinicopathologically different.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the feasibility of metabolomics in differentiating the metabolite profiles of synovial fluid between RA and OA using gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Methods: We first compared the global metabolomic changes in the synovial fluid of 19 patients with RA and OA.

Evaluation and optimization of quantitative analysis of cofactors from yeast by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Cofactors play pivotal roles in catabolism and anabolism in all living organisms. Many studies have investigated the concentration of cofactors in living organisms to understand their metabolic status, which can be used to produce valuable chemicals or to understand the pathophysiology of diseases. Among various analytical platforms, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) is the most frequently used method for the quantification of cofactors.

Activation of ectopic olfactory receptor 544 induces GLP-1 secretion and regulates gut inflammation.

Olfactory receptors are ectopically expressed in extra-nasal tissues. The gut is constantly exposed to high levels of odorants where ectopic olfactory receptors may play critical roles. Activation of ectopic olfactory receptor 544 (Olfr544) by azelaic acid (AzA), an Olfr544 ligand, reduces adiposity in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) by regulating fuel preference to fats.

Antidiabetic Effect of Noodles Containing Fermented Lettuce Extracts.

The aim of the current study was to examine the antidiabetic effect of noodle containing fermented lettuce extract (FLE) on diabetic mice as a pre-clinical study. The γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content, antioxidant capacity, and total polyphenol content of the FLE noodles were analyzed and compared with those of standard noodles. In addition, oral glucose and sucrose tolerance, and fasting blood glucose tests were performed using a high-fat diet/streptozotocin-mediated diabetic mouse model.

Systematic re-evaluation of the long-used standard protocol of urease-dependent metabolome sample preparation.

In the urinary metabolomics for finding biomarkers in urine, owing to high concentrations of urea, for chromatography-based metabolomic analysis, urea needed to be degraded by urease. This urease pretreatment has been the key step of sample preparation for standard urinary metabolomics until today even for mass spectrometry-based analysis. The urease pretreatment involving incubation of urine with urease contradicts the concept of metabolome sampling, which should immediately arrest metabolic reactions to prevent alterations of a metabolite profile.

Variation in the synovial fluid metabolome according to disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Because genetic and environmental factors both contribute to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), metabolomics could be a very useful tool to elucidate the pathophysiology of RA, and to predict response to treatment. This study was carried out to investigate synovial fluid (SF) metabolic perturbation in RA patients according to the degree of disease activity using gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/TOF MS).

Methods: SF samples were obtained from 48 RA patients.

Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analyses of for Efficient Fermentation of L-Fucose.

L-Fucose, one of the major monomeric sugars in brown algae, possesses high potential for use in the large-scale production of bio-based products. Although fucose catabolic pathways have been enzymatically evaluated, the effects of fucose as a carbon source on intracellular metabolism in industrial microorganisms such as are still not identified. To elucidate the effects of fucose on cellular metabolism and to find clues for efficient conversion of fucose into bio-based products, comparative metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses were performed on on L-fucose and on D-glucose as a control.