Effect of Lactobacillus helveticus CD6 on serum lipid profile and indicators of liver function in high-fat diet fed Swiss albino mice.

In this study, we have investigated the effect of Lactobacillus helveticus CD6 on weight gain, lipid profile, liver function biomarkers (ALT: alanine aminotransferase; and AST: aspartate aminotransferase) and liver histopathology in high-fat diet fed Swiss albino mice. Twenty-four healthy male Swiss albino mice with an average body weight of 25.94 ± 0.33 g (35 days old) were acclimatized and equally distributed into four groups treated with different diets. The treatment groups were control (control diet), HFD (high-fat diet), HFD + LH (high-fat diet + L. helveticus CD6), and HFD + Gemf (high-fat diet + Gemfibrozil). After 12 weeks, L. helveticus CD6 treatment significantly reduced HFD-induced weight gain, the levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), ALT and AST, and elevated serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. In addition, L. helveticus CD6 treatment maintained satiety and normal liver histology as compared to HFD group. Besides this, the results observed with L. helveticus CD6 treatment were comparable with lipid lowering drug gemfibrozil, except TG levels and body weight gain. In conclusion, it was found that L. helveticus CD6 could effectively reduce HFD-induced hyperlipidemia and weight gain and maintained normal liver histology. Moreover, the strain could be used to develop functional foods for individuals with dyslipidemia after appropriate human studies.

Gut, oral and skin microbiome of Indian patrilineal families reveal perceptible association with age.

The human microbiome plays a key role in maintaining host homeostasis and is influenced by age, geography, diet, and other factors. Traditionally, India has an established convention of extended family arrangements wherein three or more generations, bound by genetic relatedness, stay in the same household. In the present study, we have utilized this unique family arrangement to understand the association of age with the microbiome. We characterized stool, oral and skin microbiome of 54 healthy individuals from six joint families by 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomics. In total, 69 (1.03%), 293 (2.68%) and 190 (8.66%) differentially abundant OTUs were detected across three generations in the gut, skin and oral microbiome, respectively. Age-associated changes in the gut and oral microbiome of patrilineal families showed positive correlations in the abundance of phyla Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria, respectively. Genera Treponema and Fusobacterium showed a positive correlation with age while Granulicatella and Streptococcus showed a negative correlation with age in the oral microbiome. Members of genus Prevotella illustrated high abundance and prevalence as a core OTUs in the gut and oral microbiome. In conclusion, this study highlights that precise and perceptible association of age with microbiome can be drawn when other causal factors are kept constant.

Incidence of leaf spot disease on cotton caused by Curvularia verruculosa and role of its hydrolytic enzymes in pathogenesis.

The finding described in this study is the first report of leaf spot disease of cotton caused by Curvularia verruculosa surveyed in the state of Maharashtra (India). The isolated phytopathogenic fungal strain was identified using morphological characteristics and molecular identification of ITS gene sequence (MF784436) and D1D2 region of LSU gene (KY978073). The ability of fungal strain to secrete hydrolytic enzymes viz., pectinase, xylanase, protease, cellulase and lipase was detected. The secretion profile of hydrolytic enzymes by C. verruculosa was also examined in planta and in vitro. The secretion of cellulase, xylanase and protease was found to be inducible on cotton-stalk powder containing media; while secretion of pectinase and lipase was constitutive in glucose containing medium. The hydrolytic enzymes secretion during etiological progression of disease was detected on cotton leaves at regular interval of 24 h up to 10 days. A significant correlation (P < 0.05) was observed between hydrolytic enzymes secretion and disease severity index. The increased level of hydrolytic enzymes in infected plant sample indicates their role in disease progression. The newly documented fungal phytopathogen Curvularia verruculosa was deposited at National Fungal Culture Collection of India, Pune with accession number of NFCCI-4119.