A cross-sectional study on gut microbiota in prostate cancer patients with prostatectomy or androgen deprivation therapy.

BACKGROUND: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), either by medical or surgical castration, is the backbone for standard treatment of locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer, yet it is also associated with various metabolic and cardiovascular complications. Recent evidence have shown that obesity, insulin resistance, or metabolic disturbances can be associated with changes in the gut microbiome, while animal studies also show that castration is associated with changes in the gut microbiome. This study aims to investigate whether the fecal microbiota in prostate cancer patients who had undergone prostatectomy or ADT are different, and explore changes in phylogeny and pathways that may lead to side effects from ADT. METHODS: A total of 86 prostate cancer patients (56 patients on ADT and 30 patients with prostatectomy) were recruited. The fecal microbiota was analyzed by the 16S rRNA gene for alpha- and beta-diversities by QIIME2, as well as the predicted metabolic pathways by Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States 2. RESULTS: The alpha-diversity was significantly lower in the ADT group. The beta-diversity was significantly different between the groups, in which Ruminococcus gnavus and Bacteroides spp were having higher relative abundance in the ADT group, whereas Lachnospira and Roseburia were reduced. The Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio is noted to be lower in the ADT group as well. The functional pathway prediction showed that the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) and propanoate was enriched in the ADT as well as the energy cycle pathways. This study is limited by the cross-sectional design and the clinical heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant difference in gut microbiome between prostate cancer patients on ADT and prostatectomy. We theorize that this difference may contribute to the development of metabolic complications from ADT. Further longitudinal studies are awaited.

Inhibition of lipid oxidation in cooked beef patties by hydrolyzed potato protein is related to its reducing and radical scavenging ability.

Protein hydrolysates were prepared by limited alcalase hydrolysis (0.5, 1, and 6 h, corresponding to degrees of hydrolysis of 0.72, 1.9, and 2.3, respectively) of heat-coagulated potato protein. The hydrolysates were characterized for peptide composition, ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical-scavenging activity, and Fe2+- and Cu2+-chelation capacity. Hydrolyzed and intact proteins were formulated (4%, w/w) into beef patties to determine in situ antioxidant efficacy. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and peroxide value (PV) formed in cooked and PVC-packaged patties during storage (4 degrees C, 0-7 days) were analyzed. Hydrolysis increased the protein solubility by 14-19-fold and produced numerous short peptides (< 6 kDa). The FRAP values of the protein sample (23 micromol/g) increased markedly after hydrolysis but were similar between the three hydrolysates (597-643 micromol/g). Similarly, the ABTS radical-scavenging activity also was increased by hydrolysis and was the greatest for the 1-h hydrolysate. Hydrolysis increased the Cu2+-chelation activity but decreased the Fe2+-chelation ability of the protein. The production of PV in patties after 7 days of storage was lowered 44.9% and 74.5% (P < 0.05), and that of TBARS was reduced 40.9% and 50.3% (P < 0.05), by intact and hydrolyzed proteins, respectively.