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Microorganisms
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The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Human Health and...
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The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Human Health and Disease 2.0

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Gut Microbiota".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 10071

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anisha Wijeyesekera

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food & Nutritional Sciences, School of Chemistry, Food & Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading, UK
Interests: molecular phenotyping; gut microbiota; gut microbial-host co-metabolism; gut microbiota targeted interventions; age and diet associated markers of health and disease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is the continuation of our previous special issue "The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Human Health and Disease".

The human gastrointestinal tract is inhabited by a complex ecosystem of microorganisms that have been shown to play an important role in shaping human health. These microbes produce metabolically active compounds, some of which exert their effects throughout the body; hence, there is a growing understanding of the impact of the gut microbiota on the system as well as gut health. Analytical approaches to study the gut microbiota, such as metagenomics and metabolomics, have provided us with novel insights, particularly at a holistic level. However, there is still much to learn regarding the composition and functional capacity of microbial communities in different human health and diseased states, and how these may be targeted (for example, using dietary interventions such as prebiotics and probiotics) for therapeutic benefit.

This Special Issue of Microorganisms is focused on the latest advances in the role of gut microbiota in human health and disease. We invite researchers to submit new research and review articles focused on basic and translational research studies that further our understanding of gut microbial composition and function, host–gut microbiota interactions, and how human health outcomes may be improved through therapeutic modulation of the gut microbiota.

Dr. Anisha Wijeyesekera
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gut microbiota
  • host–gut microbiota interactions
  • gut health
  • system health
  • gut microbiota targeted interventions
  • microbiomics
  • metagenomics
  • metabolomics

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4428 KiB  
Article
Integrated Macrogenomics and Metabolomics Explore Alterations and Correlation between Gut Microbiota and Serum Metabolites in Adult Epileptic Patients: A Pilot Study
by Kaiping Zhou, Lijing Jia, Zhuofeng Mao, Peipei Si, Can Sun, Zhenzhen Qu and Weiping Wang
Microorganisms 2023, 11(11), 2628; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11112628 - 25 Oct 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1878
Abstract
Epilepsy (EP) is a complex brain disorder showing a lot of unknows reasons. Recent studies showed that gut microbiota can influence epilepsy via the brain–gut axis. Nevertheless, the mechanism by which gut microbiota affects adult epilepsy still remains unclear. In this study, fecal [...] Read more.
Epilepsy (EP) is a complex brain disorder showing a lot of unknows reasons. Recent studies showed that gut microbiota can influence epilepsy via the brain–gut axis. Nevertheless, the mechanism by which gut microbiota affects adult epilepsy still remains unclear. In this study, fecal and serum samples were obtained from patients with epilepsy and normal controls. Using an integrated analysis, sequencing was performed by macrogenomics and high-throughput targeted metabolomics with various bioinformatics approaches. The macrogenomic sequencing revealed significant changes in microbial structure in patients suffering from epilepsy. For example, at the phylum level, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria showed an increase in the patients with epilepsy, whereas that of Firmicutes decreased. In addition, the patients with epilepsy had significantly differential metabolite profiles compared to normal controls, and five clusters with 21 metabolites, mainly containing the upregulation of some fatty acids and downregulation of some amino acids. Tryptophan (AUC = 91.81, p < 0.0001), kynurenine (AUC = 79.09, p < 0.01) and 7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z-Docosatetraenoic acid (AUC = 80.95, p < 0.01) may be used as potential diagnostic markers for epilepsy. Differential serum metabolites have effects on tryptophan metabolism, iron death and other pathways. Furthermore, a multiomic joint analysis observed a statistically significant correlation between the differential flora and the differential serum metabolites. In our findings, a macrogenomic analysis revealed the presence of dysregulated intestinal flora species and function in adult epileptic patients. Deeper metabolomic analyses revealed differences in serum metabolites between patients with epilepsy and healthy populations. Meanwhile, the multiomic combination showed connection between the gut microbes and circulating metabolites in the EP patients, which may be potential therapeutic targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Human Health and Disease 2.0)
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14 pages, 1848 KiB  
Communication
Enriched Aptamer Libraries in Fluorescence-Based Assays for Rikenella microfusus-Specific Gut Microbiome Analyses
by Yiting Zhang, Hu Xing, Grigory Bolotnikov, Markus Krämer, Nina Gotzmann, Uwe Knippschild, Ann-Kathrin Kissmann and Frank Rosenau
Microorganisms 2023, 11(9), 2266; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11092266 - 9 Sep 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1871
Abstract
Rikenella microfusus is an essential intestinal probiotic with great potential. The latest research shows that imbalance in the intestinal flora are related to the occurrence of various diseases, such as intestinal diseases, immune diseases, and metabolic diseases. Rikenella may be a target or [...] Read more.
Rikenella microfusus is an essential intestinal probiotic with great potential. The latest research shows that imbalance in the intestinal flora are related to the occurrence of various diseases, such as intestinal diseases, immune diseases, and metabolic diseases. Rikenella may be a target or biomarker for some diseases, providing a new possibility for preventing and treating these diseases by monitoring and optimizing the abundance of Rikenella in the intestine. However, the current monitoring methods have disadvantages, such as long detection times, complicated operations, and high costs, which seriously limit the possibility of clinical application of microbiome-based treatment options. Therefore, the intention of this study was to evolve an enriched aptamer library to be used for specific labeling of R. microfusus, allowing rapid and low-cost detection methods and, ultimately the construction of aptamer-based biosensors. In this study, we used Rikenella as the target bacterium for an in vitro whole Cell-SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential Enrichment) to evolve and enrich specific DNA oligonucleotide aptamers. Five other prominent anaerobic gut bacteria were included in this process for counterselection and served as control cells. The aptamer library R.m-R13 was evolved with high specificity and strong affinity (Kd = 9.597 nM after 13 rounds of selection). With this enriched aptamer library, R. microfusus could efficiently be discriminated from the control bacteria in complex mixtures using different analysis techniques, including fluorescence microscopy or fluorometric suspension assays, and even in human stool samples. These preliminary results open new avenues toward the development of aptamer-based microbiome bio-sensing applications for fast and reliable monitoring of R. microfusus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Human Health and Disease 2.0)
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21 pages, 3308 KiB  
Article
Gut Bacterial Communities in HIV-Infected Individuals with Metabolic Syndrome: Effects of the Therapy with Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitor-Based and Protease Inhibitor-Based Regimens
by Tonatiuh Abimael Baltazar-Díaz, Fernando Amador-Lara, Jaime F. Andrade-Villanueva, Luz Alicia González-Hernández, Rodolfo Ismael Cabrera-Silva, Karina Sánchez-Reyes, Monserrat Álvarez-Zavala, Aldo Valenzuela-Ramírez, Susana Del Toro-Arreola and Miriam Ruth Bueno-Topete
Microorganisms 2023, 11(4), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11040951 - 6 Apr 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2911
Abstract
Antiretroviral therapies (ART) are strongly associated with weight gain and metabolic syndrome (MetS) development in HIV-infected patients. Few studies have evaluated the association between gut microbiota and integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-based and protease inhibitor (PI)-based regimens in HIV-infected patients with MetS. To [...] Read more.
Antiretroviral therapies (ART) are strongly associated with weight gain and metabolic syndrome (MetS) development in HIV-infected patients. Few studies have evaluated the association between gut microbiota and integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-based and protease inhibitor (PI)-based regimens in HIV-infected patients with MetS. To assess this, fecal samples were obtained from HIV-infected patients treated with different regimens (16 PI + MetS or 30 INSTI + MetS) and 18 healthy controls (HCs). The microbial composition was characterized using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The INSTI-based and PI-based regimens were associated with a significant decrease in α-diversity compared to HCs. The INSTI + MetS group showed the lowest α-diversity between both regimens. A significant increase in the abundance of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing genera (Roseburia, Dorea, Ruminococcus torques, and Coprococcus) was observed in the PI + MetS group, while Prevotella, Fusobacterium, and Succinivibrio were significantly increased in the INSTI + MetS group. Moreover, the Proteobacteria/Firmicutes ratio was overrepresented, and functional pathways related to the biosynthesis of LPS components were increased in the INSTI + MetS group. The gut microbiota of patients receiving INSTIs showed a more pronounced dysbiosis orchestrated by decreased bacterial richness and diversity, with an almost complete absence of SCFA-producing bacteria and alterations in gut microbiota functional pathways. These findings have not been previously observed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Human Health and Disease 2.0)
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Review

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18 pages, 2033 KiB  
Review
Gut Microbiota and Critical Metabolites: Potential Target in Preventing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus?
by Runan Hu, Zhuo Liu, Yuli Geng, Yanjing Huang, Fan Li, Haoxu Dong, Wenwen Ma, Kunkun Song, Mingmin Zhang and Yufan Song
Microorganisms 2023, 11(7), 1725; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11071725 - 30 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2130
Abstract
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an intractable issue that negatively impacts the quality of pregnancy. The incidence of GDM is on the rise, becoming a major health burden for both mothers and children. However, the specific etiology and pathophysiology of GDM remain unknown. [...] Read more.
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an intractable issue that negatively impacts the quality of pregnancy. The incidence of GDM is on the rise, becoming a major health burden for both mothers and children. However, the specific etiology and pathophysiology of GDM remain unknown. Recently, the importance of gut microbiota and related metabolic molecules has gained prominence. Studies have indicated that women with GDM have significantly distinct gut microbiota and gut metabolites than healthy pregnant women. Given that the metabolic pathways of gut flora and related metabolites have a substantial impact on inflammation, insulin signaling, glucose, and lipid metabolism, and so on, gut microbiota or its metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids, may play a significant role in both pathogenesis and progression of GDM. Whereas the role of intestinal flora during pregnancy is still in its infancy, this review aims to summarize the effects and mechanisms of gut microbiota and related metabolic molecules involved in GDM, thus providing potential intervention targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Human Health and Disease 2.0)
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