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A comprehensive review on the impact of β-glucan metabolism by Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium species as members of the gut microbiota.
Fernandez-Julia, PJ, Munoz-Munoz, J, van Sinderen, D
International journal of biological macromolecules. 2021;:877-889
Abstract
β-glucans are polysaccharides which can be obtained from different sources, and which have been described as potential prebiotics. The beneficial effects associated with β-glucan intake are that they reduce energy intake, lower cholesterol levels and support the immune system. Nevertheless, the mechanism(s) of action underpinning these health effects related to β-glucans are still unclear, and the precise impact of β-glucans on the gut microbiota has been subject to debate and revision. In this review, we summarize the most recent advances involving structurally different types of β-glucans as fermentable substrates for Bacteroidetes (mainly Bacteroides) and Bifidobacterium species as glycan degraders. Bacteroides is one of the most abundant bacterial components of the human gut microbiota, while bifidobacteria are widely employed as a probiotic ingredient. Both are generalist glycan degraders capable of using a wide range of substrates: Bacteroides spp. are specialized as primary degraders in the metabolism of complex carbohydrates, whereas Bifidobacterium spp. more commonly metabolize smaller glycans, in particular oligosaccharides, sometimes through syntrophic interactions with Bacteroides spp., in which they act as secondary degraders.
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The potential of proteins, hydrolysates and peptides as growth factors for Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium: current research and future perspectives.
Zhang, C, Zhang, Y, Li, H, Liu, X
Food & function. 2020;(3):1946-1957
Abstract
Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide health benefits to the host when consumed in adequate concentrations. The strains most frequently used as probiotics include Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. Probiotics have demonstrated significant potential as therapeutic options for various diseases. In addition to oligosaccharides, proteins, hydrolysates and peptides have also been shown function as prebiotics to promote the growth of probiotics. Therefore, this review provides a summary of the available information and current knowledge on the effects of various proteins on probiotics, focusing on how proteins influence probiotics, although uncertainties and disagreements about how the metabolism of proteins promotes probiotics still exist. Understanding the relationship between proteins and probiotics will allow appropriate prebiotic selection and the development of effective methods to promote the proliferation of probiotics.
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Insights into the reason of Human-Residential Bifidobacteria (HRB) being the natural inhabitants of the human gut and their potential health-promoting benefits.
Wong, CB, Odamaki, T, Xiao, JZ
FEMS microbiology reviews. 2020;(3):369-385
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Abstract
Members of Bifidobacterium are among the first microbes to colonise the human gut, and certain species are recognised as the natural resident of human gut microbiota. Their presence in the human gut has been associated with health-promoting benefits and reduced abundance of this genus is linked with several diseases. Bifidobacterial species are assumed to have coevolved with their hosts and include members that are naturally present in the human gut, thus recognised as Human-Residential Bifidobacteria (HRB). The physiological functions of these bacteria and the reasons why they occur in and how they adapt to the human gut are of immense significance. In this review, we provide an overview of the biology of bifidobacteria as members of the human gut microbiota and address factors that contribute to the preponderance of HRB in the human gut. We highlight some of the important genetic attributes and core physiological traits of these bacteria that may explain their adaptive advantages, ecological fitness, and competitiveness in the human gut. This review will help to widen our understanding of one of the most important human commensal bacteria and shed light on the practical consideration for selecting bifidobacterial strains as human probiotics.
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The Evolution of Human Probiotics: Challenges and Prospects.
Trush, EA, Poluektova, EA, Beniashvilli, AG, Shifrin, OS, Poluektov, YM, Ivashkin, VT
Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins. 2020;(4):1291-1299
Abstract
In recent years, the intestinal microbiota has been found to greatly influence a number of biological processes important for human health and longevity. Microbial composition changes easily in response to external factors, such as an unbalanced diet, lack of physical activity, and smoking. Probiotics are a key factor in maintaining the optimal composition of the intestinal microbiota. However, a number of important questions related to probiotics, such as indication for prescription, comparative efficacy of monostrain and multistrain probiotics, methods of delivery, and shelf life, remain unresolved. The aim of this review is to highlight existing issues regarding probiotic production and their prescription. The review presents the most recent findings regarding advantages and efficacy of monostrain and multistrain probiotics, preservation of probiotic strains in capsules and microcapsules, production of probiotics in the form of biofilms for improved efficacy and survival, and results of clinical studies evaluating the benefits of probiotics against different pathologies. We believe that this work will be of interest to physicians and researchers alike and will promote the development of new probiotics and ensuing regimens aimed at the treatment of various diseases.
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Utilization of sucrose and analog disaccharides by human intestinal bifidobacteria and lactobacilli: Search of the bifidobacteria enzymes involved in the degradation of these disaccharides.
Hosaka, H, Kawamura, M, Hirano, T, Hakamata, W, Nishio, T
Microbiological research. 2020;:126558
Abstract
The majority of oligosaccharides used as prebiotics typically consist of a combination of 3 kinds of neutral monosaccharides, d-glucose, d-galactose, and d-fructose. In this context, we aimed to generate new types of prebiotic oligosaccharides containing other monosaccharides, and to date have synthesized various oligosaccharides containing an amino sugar, uronic acid, and their derivatives. In this study, we investigated the effects of 4 kinds of sucrose (Suc) analog disaccharides containing d-glucosamine, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, d-glucuronic acid, or d-glucuronamide as constituent monosaccharides, on the growth of 8 species of bifidobacteria and 3 species of lactobacilli isolated from the human intestine. The results of these experiments were compared with those obtained from identical experiments using Suc. We confirmed that all bacterial strains could utilize Suc as a nutrient source for growth; in contrast, only specific species of bifidobacteria showed growth with Suc analog disaccharides. When oligosaccharides are utilized as a nutrient source by bacteria, they are often broken down into monosaccharides or their derivatives by cellular enzymes before entering the intracellular glycolytic pathway. Therefore, to clarify the above phenomenon involved in the growth of bifidobacteria using Suc analog disaccharides, we investigated the cellular glycosidases of 3 strains of bifidobacteria shown to be capable or incapable of growth in the presence of these disaccharides. As the result, it was confirmed that the strains capable of growth using Suc analog disaccharides show greater productivity of glycosidases that degrade these disaccharides than strains not capable of growth; however, we have not identified the enzymes here.
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The infant gut microbiome as a microbial organ influencing host well-being.
Turroni, F, Milani, C, Duranti, S, Lugli, GA, Bernasconi, S, Margolles, A, Di Pierro, F, van Sinderen, D, Ventura, M
Italian journal of pediatrics. 2020;(1):16
Abstract
Initial establishment of the human gut microbiota is generally believed to occur immediately following birth, involving key gut commensals such as bifidobacteria that are acquired from the mother. The subsequent development of this early gut microbiota is driven and modulated by specific dietary compounds present in human milk that support selective colonization. This represents a very intriguing example of host-microbe co-evolution, where both partners are believed to benefit. In recent years, various publications have focused on dissecting microbial infant gut communities and their interaction with their human host, being a determining factor in host physiology and metabolic activities. Such studies have highlighted a reduction of microbial diversity and/or an aberrant microbiota composition, sometimes referred to as dysbiosis, which may manifest itself during the early stage of life, i.e., in infants, or later stages of life. There are growing experimental data that may explain how the early human gut microbiota affects risk factors related to adult health conditions. This concept has fueled the development of various nutritional strategies, many of which are based on probiotics and/or prebiotics, to shape the infant microbiota. In this review, we will present the current state of the art regarding the infant gut microbiota and the role of key commensal microorganisms like bifidobacteria in the establishment of the first microbial communities in the human gut.
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An introduction of the role of probiotics in human infections and autoimmune diseases.
Sales-Campos, H, Soares, SC, Oliveira, CJF
Critical reviews in microbiology. 2019;(4):413-432
Abstract
During the last decades, studies exploring the role of microorganisms inhabiting human body in different scenarios have demonstrated the great potential of modulating them to treat and prevent diseases. Among the most outstanding applications, probiotics have been used for over a century to treat infections and inflammation. Despite the beneficial role of other probiotics, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species are the most frequently used, and have been effective as a therapeutic option in the treatment/prevention of dental caries, periodontal diseases, urogenital infections, and gastrointestinal infections. Additionally, as gastrointestinal tract harbors a great diversity of microbial species that directly or indirectly modulate host metabolism and immune response, the influence of intestinal microbiota, one of the targets of therapies using probiotics, on the biology of immune cells can be explored to treat inflammatory disorders or immune-mediated diseases. Thus, it is not surprising that probiotics have presented promising results in modulating human inflammatory diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, among others. Hence, the purpose of this review is to discuss the potential of therapeutic approaches using probiotics to constrain infection and development of inflammation on human subjects.
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Microbial enterotypes in personalized nutrition and obesity management.
Christensen, L, Roager, HM, Astrup, A, Hjorth, MF
The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2018;(4):645-651
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Abstract
Human gut microbiota has been suggested to play an important role in nutrition and obesity. However, formulating meaningful and clinically relevant dietary advice based on knowledge about gut microbiota remains a key challenge. A number of recent studies have found evidence that stratification of individuals according to 2 microbial enterotypes (dominance of either Prevotella or Bacteroides) may be useful in predicting responses to diets and drugs. Here, we review enterotypes in a nutritional context and discuss how enterotype stratification may be used in personalized nutrition in obesity management. Enterotypes are characterized by distinct digestive functions with preference for specific dietary substrate, resulting in short-chain fatty acids that may influence energy balance in the host. Consequently, the enterotype potentially affects the individual's ability to lose weight when following a specific diet. In short, a high-fiber diet seems to optimize weight loss among Prevotella-enterotype subjects but not among Bacteroides-enterotype subjects. In contrast, increasing bifidobacteria in the gut among Bacteroides-enterotype subjects improves metabolic parameters, suggesting that this approach can be used as an alternative weight loss strategy. Thus, enterotypes, as a pretreatment gut microbiota biomarker, have the potential to become an important tool in personalized nutrition and obesity management, although further interventions assessing their applicability are warranted.
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Modulation of rotavirus severe gastroenteritis by the combination of probiotics and prebiotics.
Gonzalez-Ochoa, G, Flores-Mendoza, LK, Icedo-Garcia, R, Gomez-Flores, R, Tamez-Guerra, P
Archives of microbiology. 2017;(7):953-961
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Abstract
Annual mortality rates due to infectious diarrhea are about 2.2 million; children are the most vulnerable age group to severe gastroenteritis, representing group A rotaviruses as the main cause of disease. One of the main factors of rotavirus pathogenesis is the NSP4 protein, which has been characterized as a viral toxin involved in triggering several cellular responses leading to diarrhea. Furthermore, the rotavirus protein NSP1 has been associated with interferon production inhibition by inducing the degradation of interferon regulatory factors IRF3, IRF5, and IRF7. On the other hand, probiotics such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species in combination with prebiotics such as inulin, HMO, scGOS, lcFOS have been associated with improved generalized antiviral response and anti-rotavirus effect by the reduction of rotavirus infectivity and viral shedding, decreased expression of NSP4 and increased levels of specific anti-rotavirus IgAs. Moreover, these probiotics and prebiotics have been related to shorter duration and severity of rotavirus diarrhea, to the prevention of infection and reduced incidence of reinfections. In this review we will discuss in detail about the rotavirus pathogenesis and immunity, and how probiotics such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species in combination with prebiotics have been associated with the prevention or modulation of rotavirus severe gastroenteritis.
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Differential Establishment of Bifidobacteria in the Breastfed Infant Gut.
Lewis, ZT, Mills, DA
Nestle Nutrition Institute workshop series. 2017;:149-159
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Abstract
The composition of an infant's gut microbiome can impact their immediate and long-term health. Bifdobacteria play a major role in structuring the gut microbiome of breastfed infants due to their ability to consume oligosaccharides found in human milk. However, recent studies have revealed that bifidobacteria are often absent in the gut microbiome of breastfed infants in some locations. This lack of colonization may be due either to differences in the environmental conditions in the gastrointestinal tract of uncolonized infants which prohibit the growth of bifidobacteria or a dearth of sources from which infants may acquire these specialized bacterial species. Potential mechanisms by which these broad factors may lead to lower colonization of infants by bifidobacteria are discussed herein. Environmental conditions which may select against bifidobacteria include low rates/duration of breastfeeding, milk glycan composition, and antimicrobial use. Routes of colonization by bifidobacteria which may be disrupted include maternal transfer via vaginal birth, fecal-oral routes, or via breast milk itself. A careful contemplation of the conditions experienced by bifidobacteria over human evolutionary history may lead to further hypotheses as to the causative factors of the differential colonization by this foundation genus in some contemporary locations.