Intestinal health functions of colonic microbial metabolites: a review

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Havenaar

This review tries to find a scientific answer on the following two questions: (1) to what extent do we understand the specific role of colonic microbial metabolites, especially short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), in maintaining the health status and prevention of diseases of the colon and the host; (2) to what extent can we influence or even control the formation of colonic microbial metabolites which are beneficial for the health status. The review focuses on the following topics: energy source, intestinal motility, defence barrier, oxidative stress with special attention for antiinflammatory and anti-carcinogen functions, and satiety. Also the risk of overproduction of SCFA is discussed. Reviewing the literature as present today, it can be concluded that physiological levels of SCFA are vital for the health and well-being of the host and that the presence of carbohydrates (dietary fibre, prebiotics) is essential to favour the metabolic activity in the direction of carbohydrate fermentation. For optimal motor activity of the ileum and colon, to regulate the physiological intestinal mobility, steadily fermentable dietary fibres or prebiotics are crucial. The formation of SCFA, especially propionate and butyrate, up to high physiological levels in the colon, much likely also contributes to the defence mechanisms of the intestinal wall. No final answer can be given yet about the role of SCFA in anti-inflammation and anti-carcinogenicity, but recently published research shows possible mechanisms in this field. The intake of prebiotics or specific dietary fibres promotes the formation of SCFA within the physiological range, and more or less specifically increases the levels of propionate and butyrate. In this way, they provide benefit to the host, especially the natural regulation of the digestive system.

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 577-584
Author(s):  
G. R. Bikbavova ◽  
M. A. Livzan

In recent decades, an increase in the incidence of ulcerative colitis has been observed throughout the world. The purpose of this review is to generalize the available information on the influence of environmental factors and intestinal microbiome on the occurrence and development of ulcerative colitis, the role of bacteria metabolism products in the pathogenesis of the disease. Studied literature, we came to the conclusion that lifestyle in the era of post-industrial society has a significant impact on the microbial composition of the intestine and leads to changes in its diversity in patients suffering from ulcerative colitis. The changes include a decrease in the number of residential flora with anti-inflammatory activity, which synthesize short-chain fatty acids, and an increase in the number of potentially pathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms. Within the phylums Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, the proportional ratio changes. The combination of aggression factors (deterioration of the intestinal microbiome composition, the presence of aggressive intestinal metabolites) leads to intestinal mucosa permeability disfunction, impairing its barrier function. Food and bacterial agents can penetrate deeper layers of the intestinal wall through mucosal defects, which then stimulate the development of inflammatory and immune responses.


Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunpeng Wu ◽  
Yan Yuan ◽  
Huihui Yu ◽  
Xin Dai ◽  
Shu Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract The diversity of the human microbiome heralds the difference of the impact that gut microbial metabolites exert on allogenic graft-versus-host (GVH) disease (GVHD), even though short-chain fatty acids and indole were demonstrated to reduce its severity. In this study, we dissected the role of choline-metabolized trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in the GVHD process. Either TMAO or a high-choline diet enhanced the allogenic GVH reaction, whereas the analog of choline, 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol reversed TMAO-induced GVHD severity. Interestingly, TMAO-induced alloreactive T-cell proliferation and differentiation into T-helper (Th) subtypes was seen in GVHD mice but not in in vitro cultures. We thus investigated the role of macrophage polarization, which was absent from the in vitro culture system. F4/80+CD11b+CD16/32+ M1 macrophage and signature genes, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, CXCL9, and CXCL10, were increased in TMAO-induced GVHD tissues and in TMAO-cultured bone marrow–derived macrophages (BMDMs). Inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome reversed TMAO-stimulated M1 features, indicating that NLRP3 is the key proteolytic activator involved in the macrophage’s response to TMAO stimulation. Consistently, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and enhanced NF-κB nuclear relocalization were investigated in TMAO-stimulated BMDMs. In vivo depletion of NLRP3 in GVHD recipients not only blocked M1 polarization but also reversed GVHD severity in the presence of TMAO treatment. In conclusion, our data revealed that TMAO-induced GVHD progression resulted from Th1 and Th17 differentiation, which is mediated by the polarized M1 macrophage requiring NLRP3 inflammasome activation. It provides the link among the host choline diet, microbial metabolites, and GVH reaction, shedding light on alleviating GVHD by controlling choline intake.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol L Wagner ◽  
Sarah N Taylor ◽  
Donna D Johnson ◽  
Bruce W Hollis

Pregnancy is a critical time in the lifecycle of a woman where she is responsible not only for her own well-being, but also that of her developing fetus, a process that continues during lactation. Until recently, the impact of vitamin D status during this period had not been fully appreciated. Data regarding the importance of vitamin D in health have emerged to challenge traditional dogma, anD'suggest that vitamin D – through its effect on immune function anD'surveillance – plays a role beyond calcium and bone metabolism on the health status of both the mother and her fetus. Following birth, this process persists; the lactating mother continues to be the main source of vitamin D for her infant. Thus, during both pregnancy and lactation, maternal deficiency predicts fetal and infant deficiency; the significance of this is just beginning to be understood and will be highlighted in this review.


2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Woźniak

Abstract According to research that have been conducted in the field of gerontology, sociology and psychology of ageing, there is a relationship between the level of religious involvement and health status/ well-being/quality of life in older age. How does religiousness influence aging process and health status? The aim of the article is to review explanations of a positive relationship between religiousness and health that are discussed in the literature. Those explanations may be grouped in three broad categories reflecting three functions of religion that play a role for well-being in older age. Those functions are: (1) religiousness as a source of coherence and the role of religious coping and provision of meaning in dealing with stressful life events (including ageing losses) (2) religiousness as a source of positive self-perception and a sense of personal control, (3) provision of social resources (i.e. social ties and social support) within religious community and emphasis on interpersonal relations (with special focus on forgiveness as a norm in interpersonal relations). Those functions of religion are discussed in the context of their potential role in successful ageing, as determined by - among others - active engagement in life.


2020 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2095922
Author(s):  
Xiaochen Zhou ◽  
Jia Li ◽  
Qi Wang

Friendship may be significantly associated with adolescents’ psychological well-being. Among various kinds of friendships, this study investigated two types of intergroup friendships among Chinese adolescents, specifically cross-hukou-location and cross-gender friendship. Fixed-effects modeling with a two-wave national dataset—the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS)—was performed to evaluate the relationship between within-individual changes in cross-hukou-location friendship, cross-gender friendship, and mental health status ( N = 5,297, boys: 50.18%, average age: 12.92 at wave 1). The relationship pattern among different genders was also explored. The results showed that cross-hukou-location friendship is positively associated with male adolescents’ mental health status. The cross-gender relationship is negatively related to mental health in the overall sample and female subsample. The findings not only emphasized the vital role of intergroup contact but also shed light on understanding the role of gender in intergroup friendship-making and the relationship with psychological well-being.


Author(s):  
D. S. Makhotina ◽  
◽  
M. M. Kushch ◽  
O. S. Miroshnykova ◽  
◽  
...  

According to the literature review, there have been paid less attention to the peculiarities of the large intestine of domestic birds than to the small intestine. The cecum is studied mainly in terms of their microbiome and assessment of the state of the immune system through the study of the structure and cell composition of lymphoid formations. Researchers note the role of the cecum in productivity, maintaining the health and well-being of animals. The aim of the paper was to study the features of the microscopic structure of the caecum of ducks in the first year of the postnatal ontogenesis period. Determination of morphometric parameters of microstructures was performed on histological specimens from a cross section of the middle caecum of ducks 1-, 3-, 7-, 14- and 21-days old, 1-, 2- and 6-month old and 1-year-old. Active morphogenesis of intestinal microstructures was observed in 1-3-day-old ducks, as evidenced by the process of villi and crypt formation. The older ducks, their main feature of the microscopic structure of the cecum anatomy was the increase with age of their morphometric parameters, which was uneven and asynchronous. However, the density of villi and crypts did not change with the age of the bird. The indexes of adult birds morphometric parameters of the ducks cecum corresponded at different ages: the diameter of the intestine, the thickness of the serous membrane, the density of villi, the depth of the crypt – In 1 year; villi width – In 6-month; the thickness of the intestinal wall, its mucous membrane, the density of villi, their surface area, the height of the epithelium of the crypt – In 1 month; the height of the villi and their epithelium, the thickness of the muscular membrane and muscle plate - in 21 days; width and density of crypts – at 3 days sold. The most intensive increase in morphometric parameters of the caecal microstructures occurred in the first month of the postnatal period of ontogenesis, during which they changed most rapidly in the first week.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-21
Author(s):  
I. V. Pisarev ◽  
◽  
V. V. Varnitsyna ◽  

The article describes the factors affecting the intestinal microbiota, which, in turn, lead to changes in the central and peripheral circadian clocks of the host. The role of the diet and the sleep-wake cycle on the intestinal microbiota, the relationship of nutrition and microbiota on gene expression are discussed, and the influence of microbial metabolites, short-chain fatty acids on the expression of clock genes are considered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Danish ◽  
◽  
Hafeez Khan

Increase in social capital increases the social support in society, thus improves the health and well-being of an individual. This paper aims to analyze the role of social capital on subjective well-being (happiness, life satisfaction, and worth of life) and self-reported health status. The study deploys the Generalized Structural Equation Model with order logit to link social capital with health and subjective well-being (SWB) of people by utilizing the data of 1566 households and individuals in Punjab, Pakistan. Results of the study illustrate that social trust and the number of friends are strong predictors of self-reported health (SRH) status and subjective well-being of people. While memberships with organizations or alike is a weak predictor of SRH, it significantly affects the happiness of people. Our results also depict that SRH is the strong mediator between social capital and SWB; improved social networks lower the risk of poor health status, which improves the level of happiness and life satisfaction. The study suggests that a balanced distribution of different kinds of social networks is important for the self-reported health and subjective wellbeing of people in Pakistan.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document