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New Insights into Diet, Gut Microbiota and Human Health

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2025 | Viewed by 8148

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Internal Medicine, IRCCS “S. Matteo” Hospital Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: functional gastrointestinal disorders; malabsorption syndrome; celiac disease; irritable bowel syndrome; osteoporosis
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mounting evidence supports the role of diet in modulating the composition and metabolic activity of the human gut microbiota, which, in turn, can have a tremendous impact on the overall health of the host. This impact can be beneficial or detrimental, depending on the relative abundance of beneficial and harmful species of constituent microbial populations. Emerging studies demonstrating that diet can modulate host–microbe interactions signal promising future therapeutic approaches. However, understanding the mechanisms of the effects of diet in modulating the gut microbiota is important to define novel therapeutic modalities. Most dietary nutrients are absorbed in the upper small intestine. However, there are an extremely limited number of studies focused on the impact of small intestinal microbiota on host health, a topic which should be addressed in future studies.

The focus of this Special Issue, therefore, is to publish featured articles (review articles, original research articles, communications, and commentaries) aimed at: (1) elucidating the mechanistic details of the diet–microbiota–host cross-talk occurring in different segments of the gut that, ultimately, determine the health and/or disease state of the host, and compiling published studies on this theme; and (2) critically discussing the thoughts, controversies and research gaps in this field that should be addressed in future research.

Dr. Michele Di Stefano
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • gut microbiota
  • probiotics and prebiotics
  • intestinal epithelial cells
  • inflammation
  • infection
  • microbial metabolites
  • nutrient absorption and metabolism
  • epithelial barrier function
  • immunomodulation
  • nutrient sensing and gut hormone secretion

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1031 KiB  
Article
Changes in the Composition and Diversity of the Intestinal Microbiota Associated with Carbohydrate Consumption in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients
by Beatriz Elina Martínez-Carrillo, Amapola De Sales-Millán, José Félix Aguirre-Garrido, Roxana Valdés-Ramos, Flor de María Cruz-Estrada and José Arturo Castillo-Cardiel
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(22), 12359; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252212359 - 18 Nov 2024
Viewed by 283
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a multifactorial disease, influenced by dietary and environmental factors that can modify the intestinal microbiota. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiota associated with carbohydrate (CHO) [...] Read more.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a multifactorial disease, influenced by dietary and environmental factors that can modify the intestinal microbiota. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiota associated with carbohydrate (CHO) consumption in T2DM patients. Forty patients participated, with and without T2DM. Fecal samples were collected for the characterization of microbial diversity from the massive sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Carbohydrate consumption was quantified using the Frequency Consumption Foods questionnaire (FCF), the groups were categorized according to Body Mass Index (BMI) and BMI + CHO consumption. The group without T2DM showed normal biochemical and anthropometric parameters, although they had a high carbohydrate consumption compared to the group with T2DM. At the phylum level, there were differences in relative abundance; the control overweight group (CL–OW > CHO) and T2DM-Normal Weight > CHO patients had increased Bacteroides and decreased Firmicutes. In contrast, the CL–OW > CHO and T2DM-OW < CHO patients, showed reduced Bacteroidetes and an elevated amount of Firmicutes. At the genus level, the differences were in the relative abundance of Roseburia, Clostridium_IV, Prevotella, and Sporobacter, associated with the consumption of carbohydrates. The groups that consumed high amounts of carbohydrates, regardless of whether they had diabetes mellitus or were overweight, had a significantly reduced proportion of Faecalibacterium, an altered proportion of Bacteroides. The high consumption of carbohydrates showed considerable modifications in the composition and diversity of the bacterial communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Diet, Gut Microbiota and Human Health)
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27 pages, 12014 KiB  
Article
Red Cabbage Juice-Mediated Gut Microbiota Modulation Improves Intestinal Epithelial Homeostasis and Ameliorates Colitis
by Emily Jean Wilson, Nagabhishek Sirpu Natesh, Parsa Ghadermazi, Ramesh Pothuraju, Dipakkumar R. Prajapati, Sanjit Pandey, Jussuf T. Kaifi, John R. Dodam, Jeffrey N. Bryan, Christian L. Lorson, Aude A. Watrelot, Jason M. Foster, Thomas J. Mansell, Siu Hung Joshua Chan, Surinder K. Batra, Jeyamkondan Subbiah and Satyanarayana Rachagani
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 539; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010539 - 30 Dec 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6712
Abstract
Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and can potentially prevent IBD through microbial-derived metabolites, making it a promising therapeutic avenue. Recent evidence suggests that despite an unclear underlying mechanism, red cabbage juice (RCJ) alleviates Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS)-induced [...] Read more.
Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and can potentially prevent IBD through microbial-derived metabolites, making it a promising therapeutic avenue. Recent evidence suggests that despite an unclear underlying mechanism, red cabbage juice (RCJ) alleviates Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. Thus, the study aims to unravel the molecular mechanism by which RCJ modulates the gut microbiota to alleviate DSS-induced colitis in mice. Using C57BL/6J mice, we evaluated RCJ’s protective role in DSS-induced colitis through two cycles of 3% DSS. Mice were daily gavaged with PBS or RCJ until the endpoint, and gut microbiota composition was analyzed via shotgun metagenomics. RCJ treatment significantly improved body weight (p ≤ 0.001), survival in mice (p < 0.001) and reduced disease activity index (DAI) scores. Further, RCJ improved colonic barrier integrity by enhancing the expression of protective colonic mucins (p < 0.001) and tight junction proteins (p ≤ 0.01) in RCJ + DSS-treated mice compared to the DSS group. Shotgun metagenomic analysis revealed an enrichment of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria (p < 0.05), leading to increased Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma (PPAR-γ) activation (p ≤ 0.001). This, in turn, resulted in repression of the nuclear factor κB (NFκB) signaling pathway, causing decreased production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Our study demonstrates colitis remission in a DSS-induced mouse model, showcasing RCJ as a potential modulator for gut microbiota and metabolites, with promising implications for IBD prevention and treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Diet, Gut Microbiota and Human Health)
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