Altered Pattern of Immunoglobulin A-Targeted Microbiota in Inflammatory Bowel Disease After Fecal Transplantation.

Adaptive immune response to the gut microbiota is one of the main drivers of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Under inflammatory conditions, immunoglobulin (Ig)-targeted bacteria are altered. However, changes in Ig-targeted bacteria in Asian patients with IBD with ulcerative colitis (UC) remain unclear. Furthermore, changes in IgA-targeted bacteria in patients with UC treated with fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) are unclear. Here, we analyzed fecal samples of patients with IBD and patients with UC before and after FMT by flow cytometry. We found that the percentage of IgA/G-coated bacteria can be used to assess the severity of IBD. Besides oral pharyngeal bacteria such as Streptococcus, we hypothesized that Megamonas, Acinetobacter, and, especially, Staphylococcus might play an important role in IBD pathogenesis. Moreover, we evaluated the influence of FMT on IgA-coated bacteria in patients with UC. We found that IgA-bacterial interactions were re-established in human FMT recipients and resembled those in the healthy fecal donors. Additionally, the IgA targeting was not influenced by delivery methods: gastroscopy spraying and colonic transendoscopic enteral tubing (TET). Then, we established an acute dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse model to explore whether FMT intervention would impact IgA/G memory B cell in the intestine. We found that after FMT, both IgA/G memory B cell and the percentage of IgA/G-targeted bacteria were restored to normal levels in DSS mice.

[Effects of moisture and humic acid on the metabolism of oat fructans]. / æ°´åˆ†å’Œè æ¤é ¸å¯¹ç‡•éº¦æžœèšç³–ä»£è°¢çš„å½±å“.

To provide theoretical guidance and technical support for oat production in dry farming area, we exa-mined the effects of moisture and humic acid (HA) on the accumulation and distribution of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) in different organs of oat, as well as the mechanism of sugar metabolism and grain weight formation of oat. Two oat cultivars, 'Mengnong Dayan 1' and 'Neiyan 5', were used as experimental material. HA and clean water (CK) were foliar sprayed under dry framing (without irrigation) and limited irrigation (irrigated twice at jointing and heading stage). The dynamics of NSC components in stems, leaves and panicles, as well as the changes of carbon metabolism-related enzyme activities at different growth stages of oats after flowering were measured. Results showed that the trend of the contents of NSC in stems, leaves and panicles, in both two oat cultivars increased firstly and then decreased with the prolong of post-anthesis time. The contents of NSC in different organs were similar between two oat cultivars. Under irrigation treatment, the fructan content in panicle for Mengnong Dayan 1 of HA was higher than that of CK, with magnitude of enhancement being significantly greater than that corresponding treatment under dry farming. Under irrigation condition, the fructan, invertase activities in leaves and grain weight per panicle for Mengnong Dayan 1 of HA were increased by 27.1%, 30.6% and 55.9% compared with CK, respectively. Further, the increase trend under irrigation was stronger than that under dry farming condition. For Mengnong Dayan 1, the 1000-grain weight and grain weight per panicle were positively correlated with the content of fructan in leaves. In conclusion, the synergistic effect of moisture and humic acid could effectively regulate the accumulation of oat fructans and the activities of carbon metabolic enzymes, consequently promoting the formation of yield.

First Application of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Adult Asperger Syndrome With Digestive Symptoms-A Case Report.

Asperger syndrome (AS) is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder. Although all of the clinically diagnosed cases display normal intelligence and speech functions, barriers in social interaction and communication seriously affect mental health and psychological function. In addition to traditional psychological/behavioral training and symptomatic medication, in-depth studies of intestinal microbiota and mental health have indicated that probiotics (e.g., Lactobacillus rhamnosus) can effectively reduce the occurrence of AS. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a type of biological therapy that involves the transplant of intestinal microbiota from healthy donors into the patient's gastrointestinal tract to improve the gut microenvironment. In this case report, we describe the first case of adult AS treated with FMT. The patient suffered from diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome for 6 years with symptoms of diarrhea and abdominal pain. After three rounds of FMT, the diarrhea and abdominal pain were significantly improved. Moreover, the symptoms of AS were also significantly ameliorated. We found that FMT changed the structure of the intestinal microbiota as well as the patient's serum metabolites, and these changes were consistent with the patient's symptoms. The metabolites may affect signaling pathways, as revealed by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis. The changes in microbial metabolites following FMT may affect other regions (e.g., the nervous system) via the circulatory system, such that the bacteria-gut-blood-brain axis may be the means through which FMT mitigates AS.

Selection strategy of dextran sulfate sodium-induced acute or chronic colitis mouse models based on gut microbial profile.

BACKGROUND: Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) replicates ulcerative colitis (UC)-like colitis in murine models. However, the microbial characteristics of DSS-triggered colitis require further clarification. To analyze the changes in gut microbiota associated with DSS-induced acute and chronic colitis. METHODS: Acute colitis was induced in mice by administering 3% DSS for 1 week in the drinking water, and chronic colitis was induced by supplementing drinking water with 2.5% DSS every other week for 5 weeks. Control groups received the same drinking water without DSS supplementation. The histopathological score and length of the colons, and disease activity index (DAI) were evaluated to confirm the presence of experimental colitis. Intestinal microbiota was profiled by 16S rDNA sequencing of cecal content. RESULTS: Mice with both acute and chronic DSS-triggered colitis had significantly higher DAI and colon histopathological scores in contrast to the control groups (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001), and the colon was remarkably shortened (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001). The gut microbiota α-diversity was partly downregulated in both acute and chronic colitis groups in contrast to their respective control groups (Pielou index P = 0.0022, P = 0.0649; Shannon index P = 0.0022, P = 0.0931). The reduction in the Pielou and Shannon indices were more obvious in mice with acute colitis (P = 0.0022, P = 0.0043). The relative abundance of Bacteroides and Turicibacter was increased (all P < 0.05), while that of Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Ruminiclostridium, Rikenella, Alistipes, Alloprevotella, and Butyricicoccus was significantly decreased after acute DSS induction (all P < 0.05). The relative abundance of Bacteroides, Akkermansia, Helicobacter, Parabacteroides, Erysipelatoclostridium, Turicibacter and Romboutsia was also markedly increased (all P < 0.05), and that of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Alistipes, Enterorhabdus, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001, Butyricicoccus, Ruminiclostridium_6, Muribaculum, Ruminococcaceae_NK4A214_group, Family_XIII_UCG-001 and Flavonifractor was significantly decreased after chronic DSS induction (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: DSS-induced acute and chronic colitis demonstrated similar symptoms and histopathological changes. The changes in the gut microbiota of the acute colitis model were closer to that observed in UC. The acute colitis model had greater abundance of SCFAs-producing bacteria and lower α-diversity compared to the chronic colitis model.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: A New Therapeutic Attempt from the Gut to the Brain.

Gut dysbacteriosis is closely related to various intestinal and extraintestinal diseases. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a biological therapy that entails transferring the gut microbiota from healthy individuals to patients in order to reconstruct the intestinal microflora in the latter. It has been proved to be an effective treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. Studies show that the gut microbiota plays an important role in the pathophysiology of neurological and psychiatric disorders through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Therefore, reconstruction of the healthy gut microbiota is a promising new strategy for treating cerebral diseases. We have reviewed the latest research on the role of gut microbiota in different nervous system diseases as well as FMT in the context of its application in neurological, psychiatric, and other nervous system-related diseases (Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, hepatic encephalopathy, neuropathic pain, etc.).