Next-generation multiparameter flow cytometry assay improves the assessment of oxidative stress in probiotics.

Stability of probiotic products' potency throughout shelf life is essential to ensure systematic delivery of the dosages required to provide clinically-proven health benefits. Due to the oxygen sensitivity of gut-derived microorganisms, methods for the rapid and accurate monitoring of oxidative stress in probiotics are greatly needed as they can be instrumental to both bioprocess optimization and quality control. This study introduces a next-generation flow cytometry method multiplexing the CellROX® Green and Propidium Iodide probes for the simultaneous measurement of free total reactive oxygen species (ROS) and membrane integrity, respectively.

Use of Lactic Acid Bacteria to Reduce Methane Production in Ruminants, a Critical Review.

Enteric fermentation in ruminants is the single largest anthropogenic source of agricultural methane and has a significant role in global warming. Consequently, innovative solutions to reduce methane emissions from livestock farming are required to ensure future sustainable food production. One possible approach is the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Gram positive bacteria that produce lactic acid as a major end product of carbohydrate fermentation.

Dietary Patterns Are Associated with Serum Metabolite Patterns and Their Association Is Influenced by Gut Bacteria among Older German Adults.

Background: Although dietary intakes and dietary intake patterns (DPs) have been associated with single metabolites, it is unclear whether DPs are also reflected in specific metabolite patterns (MPs). Moreover, the influence of groups of gut bacteria on the relationship between DPs and MPs is underexplored.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the association of DPs and serum MPs and also the modifying effect of the gut bacteria compositional patterns (BCPs).

Estrogen-mediated gut microbiome alterations influence sexual dimorphism in metabolic syndrome in mice.

Background: Understanding the mechanism of the sexual dimorphism in susceptibility to obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS) is important for the development of effective interventions for MS.

Results: Here we show that gut microbiome mediates the preventive effect of estrogen (17β-estradiol) on metabolic endotoxemia (ME) and low-grade chronic inflammation (LGCI), the underlying causes of MS and chronic diseases. The characteristic profiles of gut microbiome observed in female and 17β-estradiol-treated male and ovariectomized mice, such as decreased Proteobacteria and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, were associated with a lower susceptibility to ME, LGCI, and MS in these animals.

Isolation and characterization of an exopolysaccharide-producing Leuconostoc citreum strain from artisanal cheese.

High molar mass exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced from sucrose by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are of great interest as natural additives to use in foods, medical and pharmaceutical industry. This study aimed to identify the EPS produced by Leuconostoc citreum L3C1E7 isolated from Pico cheese and characterize the strain for technological and probiotic potential. Purified EPS was isolated from the culture of L.

Maternal omega-3 fatty acids regulate offspring obesity through persistent modulation of gut microbiota.

Background: The early-life gut microbiota plays a critical role in host metabolism in later life. However, little is known about how the fatty acid profile of the maternal diet during gestation and lactation influences the development of the offspring gut microbiota and subsequent metabolic health outcomes.

Results: Here, using a unique transgenic model, we report that maternal endogenous n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) production during gestation or lactation significantly reduces weight gain and markers of metabolic disruption in male murine offspring fed a high-fat diet.

Expert consensus document: The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of prebiotics.

In December 2016, a panel of experts in microbiology, nutrition and clinical research was convened by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics to review the definition and scope of prebiotics. Consistent with the original embodiment of prebiotics, but aware of the latest scientific and clinical developments, the panel updated the definition of a prebiotic: a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit. This definition expands the concept of prebiotics to possibly include non-carbohydrate substances, applications to body sites other than the gastrointestinal tract, and diverse categories other than food.

Intervention strategies for cesarean section-induced alterations in the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Microbial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract is an essential process that modulates host physiology and immunity. Recently, researchers have begun to understand how and when these microorganisms colonize the gut and the early-life factors that impact their natural ecological establishment. The vertical transmission of maternal microbes to the offspring is a critical factor for host immune and metabolic development.

Revisiting Metchnikoff: Age-related alterations in microbiota-gut-brain axis in the mouse.

Over the last decade, there has been increased interest in the role of the gut microbiome in health including brain health. This is by no means a new theory; Elie Metchnikoff proposed over a century ago that targeting the gut by consuming lactic acid bacteria such as those in yogurt, could improve or delay the onset of cognitive decline associated with ageing. However, there is limited information characterising the relationship between the behavioural and physiological sequelae of ageing and alterations in the gut microbiome.

Evolution of gut microbiota composition from birth to 24 weeks in the INFANTMET Cohort.

Background: The gut is the most extensively studied niche of the human microbiome. The aim of this study was to characterise the initial gut microbiota development of a cohort of breastfed infants (n = 192) from 1 to 24 weeks of age.

Methods: V4-V5 region 16S rRNA amplicon Illumina sequencing and, in parallel, bacteriological culture.

Genetic diversity, safety and technological characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from artisanal Pico cheese.

A total of 114 lactic acid bacteria were isolated at one and 21 days of ripening from a traditional raw cow's milk cheese without the addition of starter culture, produced by three artisanal cheese-makers in Azores Island (Pico, Portugal). Identification to species and strain level was accomplished by16S rRNA gene and PFGE analysis. Carbohydrate utilization profiles were obtained with the relevant API kits.

Feeding the microbiota-gut-brain axis: diet, microbiome, and neuropsychiatry.

The microbial population residing within the human gut represents one of the most densely populated microbial niche in the human body with growing evidence showing it playing a key role in the regulation of behavior and brain function. The bidirectional communication between the gut microbiota and the brain, the microbiota-gut-brain axis, occurs through various pathways including the vagus nerve, the immune system, neuroendocrine pathways, and bacteria-derived metabolites. This axis has been shown to influence neurotransmission and the behavior that are often associated with neuropsychiatric conditions.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids critically regulate behaviour and gut microbiota development in adolescence and adulthood.

Background: Neurodevelopment is strongly influenced by maternal and early-postnatal diet. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) are vital structural and functional components of the developing brain. The gut microbiota is also influenced by n-3 PUFA status, however, little is known about the role of maternal and early-life n-3 PUFA intake on offspring gut microbiota development and subsequent interactions with central nervous system functioning and behavioural outcomes.

The gut microbiome as a virtual endocrine organ with implications for farm and domestic animal endocrinology.

The gut microbiome exerts a marked influence on host physiology, and manipulation of its composition has repeatedly been shown to influence host metabolism and body composition. This virtual endocrine organ also has a role in the regulation of the plasma concentrations of tryptophan, an essential amino acid and precursor to serotonin, a key neurotransmitter within both the enteric and central nervous systems. Control over the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis also appears to be under the influence of the gut microbiota.

Proteomics as the final step in the functional metagenomics study of antimicrobial resistance.

The majority of clinically applied antimicrobial agents are derived from natural products generated by soil microorganisms and therefore resistance is likely to be ubiquitous in such environments. This is supported by the fact that numerous clinically important resistance mechanisms are encoded within the genomes of such bacteria. Advances in genomic sequencing have enabled the in silico identification of putative resistance genes present in these microorganisms.

The composition of the gut microbiota throughout life, with an emphasis on early life.

The intestinal microbiota has become a relevant aspect of human health. Microbial colonization runs in parallel with immune system maturation and plays a role in intestinal physiology and regulation. Increasing evidence on early microbial contact suggest that human intestinal microbiota is seeded before birth.

Sugar-coated: exopolysaccharide producing lactic acid bacteria for food and human health applications.

The human enteric microbiome represents a veritable organ relied upon by the host for a range of metabolic and homeostatic functions. Through the production of metabolites such as short chain fatty acids (SCFA), folate, vitamins B and K, lactic acid, bacteriocins, peroxides and exopolysaccharides, the bacteria of the gut microbiome provide nutritional components for colonocytes, liver and muscle cells, competitively exclude potential pathogenic organisms and modulate the hosts immune system. Due to the extensive variation in structure, size and composition, microbial exopolysaccharides represent a useful set of versatile natural ingredients for the food industrial sector, both in terms of their rheological properties and in many cases, their associated health benefits.

Bacterial neuroactive compounds produced by psychobiotics.

We recently coined the phrase 'psychobiotics' to describe an emerging class of probiotics of relevance to psychiatry [Dinan et al., Biol Psychiatry 2013;74(10):720-726]. Such "mind-altering" probiotics may act via their ability to produce various biologically active compounds, such as peptides and mediators normally associated with mammalian neurotransmission.

The complex microbiota of raw milk.

Here, we review what is known about the microorganisms present in raw milk, including milk from cows, sheep, goats and humans. Milk, due to its high nutritional content, can support a rich microbiota. These microorganisms enter milk from a variety of sources and, once in milk, can play a number of roles, such as facilitating dairy fermentations (e.

Effect of pH and water activity on the growth limits of Listeria monocytogenes in a cheese matrix at two contamination levels.

Listeria monocytogenes can proliferate at the beginning of cheesemaking as the conditions favor growth. The objective of this study was to establish the growth limits of L. monocytogenes in a cheese matrix, in case of potential contamination of the milk prior to cheese manufacture.

Recombinant lactobacilli expressing linoleic acid isomerase can modulate the fatty acid composition of host adipose tissue in mice.

We have previously demonstrated that oral administration of a metabolically active Bifidobacterium breve strain, with ability to form cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), resulted in modulation of the fatty acid composition of the host, including significantly elevated concentrations of c9, t11 CLA and omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids in liver and adipose tissue. In this study, we investigated whether a recombinant lactobacillus expressing linoleic acid isomerase (responsible for production of t10, c12 CLA) from Propionibacterium acnes (PAI) could influence the fatty acid composition of different tissues in a mouse model. Linoleic-acid-supplemented diets (2 %, w/w) were fed in combination with either a recombinant t10, c12 CLA-producing Lactobacillus paracasei NFBC 338 (Lb338), or an isogenic (vector-containing) control strain, to BALB/c mice for 8 weeks.