Gastrointestinal Agents https://greenmedinfo.com/category/keywords/Gastrointestinal%20Agents en A walnut-enriched diet affects gut microbiome in healthy caucasian subjects. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/walnut-enriched-diet-affects-gut-microbiome-healthy-caucasian-subjects n/a PMID:  Nutrients. 2018 Feb 22 ;10(2). Epub 2018 Feb 22. PMID: 29470389 Abstract Title:  A Walnut-Enriched Diet Affects Gut Microbiome in Healthy Caucasian Subjects: A Randomized, Controlled Trial. Abstract:  Regular walnut consumption is associated with better health. We have previously shown that eight weeks of walnut consumption (43 g/day) significantly improves lipids in healthy subjects. In the same study, gut microbiome was evaluated. We included 194 healthy subjects (134 females, 63± 7 years, BMI 25.1 ± 4.0 kg/m²) in a randomized, controlled, prospective, cross-over study. Following a nut-free run-in period, subjects were randomized to two diet phases (eight weeks each); 96 subjects first followed a walnut-enriched diet (43 g/day) and then switched to a nut-free diet, while98 subjects followed the diets in reverse order. While consuming the walnut-enriched diet, subjects were advised to either reduce fat or carbohydrates or both to account for the additional calories. Fecal samples were collected from 135 subjects at the end of the walnut-diet and the control-diet period for microbiome analyses. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing data was clustered with a 97% similarity into Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). UniFrac distances were used to determine diversity between groups. Differential abundance was evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test. All analyses were performed using Rhea. Generalized UniFrac distance shows that walnut consumption significantly affects microbiome composition and diversity. Multidimensional scaling (metric and non-metric) indicates dissimilarities of approximately 5% between walnut and control (= 0.02). The abundance ofandincreased significantly (&lt;0.02) whilesp. cluster XIVa species (;) decreased significantly (&lt;0.05) during walnut consumption. The effect of walnut consumption on the microbiome only marginally depended on whether subjects replaced fat, carbohydrates or both while on walnuts. Daily intake of 43 g walnuts over eight weeks significantly affects the gut microbiome by enhancing probiotic- and butyric acid-producing species in healthy individuals. Further evaluation is required to establish whether these changes are preserved during longer walnut consumption and how these are linked to the observed changes in lipid metabolism. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/walnut-enriched-diet-affects-gut-microbiome-healthy-caucasian-subjects#comments Probiotics Walnut Gastrointestinal Agents Gastrointestinal Agents Microbiome probiotics Walnut Human Study Fri, 09 Mar 2018 05:12:52 +0000 greenmedinfo 160961 at https://greenmedinfo.com Butyrate producing bacteria could be considered as a novel probiotic therapy for hypertension. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/butyrate-producing-bacteria-could-be-considered-novel-probiotic-therapy-hypert n/a PMID:  J Hypertens. 2016 Sep ;34 Suppl 1 - ISH 2016 Abstract Book:e60-e61. PMID: 27753935 Abstract Title:  OS 05-10 THE MICROBIAL METABOLITE, BUTYRATE ATTENUATES ANGIOTENSIN II-INDUCED HYPERTENSION AND DYSBIOSIS. Abstract:  OBJECTIVE: Our previous studies have demonstrated that gut microbial dysbiosis is linked to high blood pressure in patients. This was associated with decreases in butyrate- and acetate- producing microbial populations. Thus, our objective in this study was to investigate the hypothesis that infusion of butyrate would impact dysbiosis, gut immunity and attenuate hypertension. DESIGN AND METHOD: C57B6 mice were divided into 4 groups; Saline infused, Angiotensin II (750ng/kg/min) infused, Ang II infused and butyrate treated (0.5mg/kg) and butyrate alone treated group. 4 weeks after treatment, fecal samples were analyzed by 16S bacterial ribosomal DNA sequencing for gut microbiome identification. Intestinal leukocytes were harvested by enzyme digestion followed by percoll gradients, and the collected cells were analyzed using FACS. RESULTS: Ang II caused 46mmHg increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP). Butyrate co-administrated group showed significant reduction in MAP (148.3 ± 8.1 mmHg, Ang II vs. 120.5 ± 11.2 mmHg, Ang II + butyrate). Microbiota analysis demonstrated decreases of bacteroidetes (30.2 ± 4.8%, control vs.14.0 ± 2.6%, Ang II) and gut dysbiosis (F/B ratio 2.66, control vs. 4.38, Ang II) in Ang II infused animals. The genus level analysis showed there were marked decreases of butyrate producing bacteria (3.27 ± 0.8%, control vs. 2.09 ± 0.5%, Ang II) in the Ang II group. Analysis of mucosal T cells in lamina propria from these groups showed that there was a significant increase of CCR2 Th17 cells in Ang II infused mice, but not in butyrate co-treated mice. CONCLUSIONS: These observations show that gut dysbiosis and the decrease of butyrate producing bacteria are associated with Ang II-induced hypertension. Supplementing butyrate in Ang II treated mice attenuated hypertension and gut dysbiosis, as well as normalizing the intestinal Th17 cells that respond to inflammation. These data suggest that gut bacteria produced butyrate plays an important role in blood pressure regulation and that butyrate producing bacteria could be considered as a novel probiotic therapy for hypertension. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/butyrate-producing-bacteria-could-be-considered-novel-probiotic-therapy-hypert#comments Butyrate Dysbiosis Hypertension Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors Antihypertensive Agents Gastrointestinal Agents Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors Antihypertensive Agents Butyrate Dysbiosis Gastrointestinal Agents hypertension Animal Study Mon, 20 Mar 2017 23:35:19 +0000 greenmedinfo 145104 at https://greenmedinfo.com Dietary dandelion extracts promoted intestine health by improving intestine morphology, immunity, antioxidant abilities and intestinal barrier. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/dietary-dandelion-extracts-promoted-intestine-health-improving-intestine-morph n/a PMID:  Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2017 Dec 16 ;73:197-206. Epub 2017 Dec 16. PMID: 29258755 Abstract Title:  Effects of dietary dandelion extract on intestinal morphology, antioxidant status, immune function and physical barrier function of juvenile golden pompano Trachinotus ovatus. Abstract:  Intestinal morphology, antioxidant status, immune function and tight junction proteins mRNA expression were examined in golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) that fed respectively six diets containing dandelion extracts (DE) at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 10 g kg-1 after 8 weeks feeding. The study indicated that dietary DE significantly improved intestinal antioxidant abilities by increasing SOD, CAT, T-AOC activities and up-regulating intestinal cat, gpx mRNA levels, but by decreasing MDA content and down-regulating intestinal keap1 mRNA levels ingolden pompano. Meanwhile, dietary DE improved intestinal morphology, suggesting that enhances intestinal digestion and absorption, by increasing muscle thickness, villus length, villus width and villus number in the foregut and hindgut; as well as villus number, villus width and muscle thickness in the midgut (P &lt; .05). Dietary DE enhanced intestinal barrier function by increasing intestinal zo-1 and occludin mRNA levels, but by decreasing the mRNA levels of claudin-12 and claudin-15. Furthermore, dietary DE improved intestinal immunity via increasing goblet cells numbers and regulating expression of immune-related genes. In conclusion, dietary DE supplementation promoted intestine health by improving intestine morphology, immunity, antioxidant abilities and intestinal barrier in golden pompano. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/dietary-dandelion-extracts-promoted-intestine-health-improving-intestine-morph#comments Dandelion Antioxidants Gastrointestinal Agents Immunomodulatory Antioxidants Dandelion Gastrointestinal Agents Gene Expression Regulation Immunomodulatory Animal Study Tue, 02 Jan 2018 23:38:46 +0000 greenmedinfo 157930 at https://greenmedinfo.com Evidence from human studies suggests beneficial effects on gastrointestinal health. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/evidence-human-studies-suggests-beneficial-effects-gastrointestinal-health PMID:  Nutr Rev. 2019 Oct 22. Epub 2019 Oct 22. PMID: 31638148 Abstract Title:  Effects of oats on gastrointestinal health as assessed by in vitro, animal, and human studies. Abstract:  Oats are uniquely nutritious, owing to their composition of bioactive compounds, lipids, andβ-glucan. Scientific research has established that oats can improve diet quality, reduce cholesterol, regulate satiety, and protect against carcinogenesis in the colon; however, determining the effects of oats on gastrointestinal health and the gut microbiome is a newer, evolving area of research.To better understand the effects of oats on gastrointestinal health in humans, a literature review with predefined search criteria was conducted using the PubMed database and keywords for common gastrointestinal health outcomes. Moreover, to examine the gastrointestinal effects of oats across the scientific spectrum, a similar search strategy was executed to identify animal studies. In vitro studies were identified from the reference lists of human and animal studies. A total of 8 human studies, 19 animal studies, and 5 in vitro studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. The evidencein humans shows beneficial effects of oats on gastrointestinal health, with supportive evidence provided by in vitro and animal studies. The effective dose of oats varies by type, although an amount providing 2.5 to 2.9 g of β-glucan per day was shown to decrease fecal pH and alter fecal bacteria.For oat bran, 40 to 100 g/d was shown to increase fecal bacterial mass and short-chain fatty acids in humans. Differences in study design, methodology, and type of oats tested make valid comparisons difficult. The identification of best practices for the design of oat studies should be a priorityin future research, as the findings will be useful for determining how oats influence specific indices of gastrointestinal health, including the composition of the human gut microbiome. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/evidence-human-studies-suggests-beneficial-effects-gastrointestinal-health" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/evidence-human-studies-suggests-beneficial-effects-gastrointestinal-health#comments Oats Gastrointestinal Agents Gastrointestinal Agents Review Fri, 28 Feb 2020 21:46:41 +0000 greenmedinfo 214572 at https://greenmedinfo.com Exercise has a moderate but measurable effect on gut microbial communities in mice. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/exercise-has-moderate-measurable-effect-gut-microbial-communities-mice n/a PMID:  mSystems. 2017 Jul-Aug;2(4). Epub 2017 Aug 22. PMID: 28845459 Abstract Title:  Moderate Exercise Has Limited but Distinguishable Effects on the Mouse Microbiome. Abstract:  The gut microbiome is known to have a complex yet vital relationship with host health. While both exercise and the gut microbiome have been shown to impact human health independently, the direct effects of moderate exercise on the intestinal microbiota remain unclear. In this study, we compared gut microbial diversity and changes in inflammatory markers associated with exercise over an 8-week period in mice that performed either voluntary exercise (VE) (n = 10) or moderate forced exercise (FE) (n = 11) and mice that did not perform any exercise (n = 21). VE mice, but not FE mice, had increased food intake and lean body mass compared to sedentary mice. The levels of inflammatory markers associated with exercise were similar for mice in all three groups. Traditional microbial profiles comparing operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in samples (P&gt;0.1) and multivariate analysis of beta diversity via Adonis testing (P&gt;0.1) did not identify significantly altered taxonomic profiles in the voluntary or forced exercise group compared to the sedentary controls. However, a random forests machine learning model, which takes into account the relationships between bacteria in a community, classified voluntary exercisers and nonexercisers with 97% accuracy at 8 weeks. The top bacteria used by the model allowed us to identify known taxa (Bacteroides, S24-7, and Lactobacillus) and novel taxa (Rikenellaceae and Lachnospiraceae) associated with exercise. Although aerobic exercise in mice did not result in significant changes of abundance in gut microbes or in host inflammatory response, more sophisticated computational methods could identify some microbial shifts. More study is needed on the effects of various exercise intensities and their impact on the gut microbiome. IMPORTANCE The bacteria that live in our gut have a complex yet vital relationshipwith our health. Environmental factors that influence the gut microbiome are of great interest, as recent research demonstrates that these microbes, mostly bacteria, are important for normal host physiology. Diseases such as obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and colon cancer have also been linked to shifts in the microbiome. Exercise is known to have beneficial effects on these diseases; however, much less is known about its direct impact on the gut microbiome. Our results illustrate that exercise has a moderate but measurable effect on gut microbial communities in mice. These methods can be used to provide important insight into other factors affecting the microbiome and our health. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/exercise-has-moderate-measurable-effect-gut-microbial-communities-mice#comments Exercise Gastrointestinal Agents exercise Gastrointestinal Agents Microbiome Animal Study Tue, 05 Sep 2017 16:19:14 +0000 greenmedinfo 152741 at https://greenmedinfo.com Fast food consumption was characterised by suppressed representation of lactobacilli and butyrate-producing bacteria. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/fast-food-consumption-was-characterised-suppressed-representation-lactobacilli n/a PMID:  Br J Nutr. 2017 Jun ;117(12):1645-1655. PMID: 28789729 Abstract Title:  Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with the gut microbiota pattern and gastrointestinal characteristics in an adult population. Abstract:  This study aimed to explore the potential associations of adherence to the Mediterranean diet with gut microbiota characteristics and gastrointestinal symptomatology in an adult population. Other long-term dietary habits (e.g. consumption of snacks and junk food or stimulant intake) were also evaluated in terms of the gut microbiota profile. Participants (n 120) underwent anthropometric, dietary, physical activity and lifestyle evaluation. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed using a Mediterranean diet score, the MedDietScore, and subjects were classified into three tertiles according to individual adherence scoring. Gut microbiota composition was determined using quantitative PCR and plate-count techniques, and faecal SCFA were analysed using GC. Gastrointestinal symptoms were also evaluated. Participants with a high adherence to the Mediterranean diet had lower Escherichia coli counts (P=0·022), a higher bifidobacteria:E. coli ratio (P=0·025), increased levels and prevalence of Candida albicans (P=0·039 and P=0·050, respectively), greater molar ratio of acetate (P=0·009), higher defaecation frequency (P=0·028) and a more pronounced gastrointestinal symptomatology compared withthose reporting low adherence. A lower molar ratio of valerate was also observed in the case of high adherence to the Mediterranean diet compared with the other two tertiles (P for trend=0·005). Positive correlations of MedDietScore with gastrointestinal symptoms, faecal moisture, total bacteria, bifidobacteria:E. coli ratio, relative share of Bacteroides, C. albicans and total SCFA, as well as negative associations with cultivable E. coli levels and valerate were indicated. Fast food consumption was characterised by suppressed representation of lactobacilli and butyrate-producing bacteria. In conclusion, our findings support a link between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and gut microbiota characteristics. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/fast-food-consumption-was-characterised-suppressed-representation-lactobacilli#comments Gastrointestinal Agents Western Diet Gastrointestinal Agents Microbiome Human Study Tue, 05 Sep 2017 17:17:38 +0000 greenmedinfo 152744 at https://greenmedinfo.com Krill oil treatment was associated with the alleviation of hyperlipidemia in animals. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/krill-oil-treatment-was-associated-alleviation-hyperlipidemia-animals n/a PMID:  Front Microbiol. 2017 ;8:905. Epub 2017 May 17. PMID: 28567037 Abstract Title:  Modulation of the Gut Microbiota by Krill Oil in Mice Fed a High-Sugar High-Fat Diet. Abstract:  Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the gut microbiota plays vital roles in metabolic diseases such as hyperlipidemia. Previous studies have confirmed that krill oil can alleviate hyperlipidemia, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. To discern whether krill oil changes the structure of the gut microbiota during the hyperlipidemia treatment, 72 mice were acclimatized with a standard chow diet for 2 weeks and then randomly allocated to receive a standard chow diet (control group, n = 12) or a high-sugar-high-fat (HSHF) diet supplemented with a low (100μg/g·d, HSHF+LD group, n = 12), moderate (200 μg/g·d, HSHF+MD group, n = 12) or high dosage of krill oil (600 μg/g·d, HSHF+HD group, n = 12), simvastatin (HSHF+S group, n = 12) or saline (HSHF group, n = 12) continuously for 12 weeks. The resulting weight gains were attenuated, the liver indexand the low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations showed a stepwise reduction in the treated groups compared with those of the control group. A dose-dependent modulation of the gut microbiota was observed after treatment with krill oil. Low- and moderate- doses of krill oil increased the similarity between the composition of the HSHF diet-induced gut microbiota and that of the control, whereas the mice fed the high-dose exhibited a unique gut microbiota structure that was different from that of the control and HSHF groups. Sixty-five key operational taxonomicunits (OTUs) that responded to the krill oil treatment were identified using redundancy analysis, of which 26 OTUs were increased and 39 OTUs were decreased compared with those of the HSHF group. In conclusion, the results obtained in this study suggest that the structural alterations in the gut microbiota induced by krill oil treatment were dose-dependent and associated with the alleviation of hyperlipidemia. Additionally, the high-dose krill oil treatment showed combined effects on the alleviation of hyperlipidemia and obesity. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/krill-oil-treatment-was-associated-alleviation-hyperlipidemia-animals#comments High Fat Diet High Sugar Diet Hyperlipidemia Krill Obesity Gastrointestinal Agents Hypolipidemic Anti-Obesity Agents Gastrointestinal Agents high fat diet High Sugar Diet hyperlipidemia Hypolipidemic Krill obesity Animal Study Fri, 01 Sep 2017 20:28:52 +0000 greenmedinfo 152590 at https://greenmedinfo.com Lactobacillus brevis KB290 and β-carotene improves minor IBS diarrhoea-like symptoms and inflammatory status in healthy volunteers. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/lactobacillus-brevis-kb290-and-carotene-improves-minor-ibs-diarrhoea-symptoms- n/a PMID:  Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2017 Apr 9:1-14. Epub 2017 Apr 9. PMID: 28391736 Abstract Title:  Effect of combined consumption of Lactobacillus brevis KB290 andβ-carotene on minor diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome-like symptoms in healthy subjects: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial. Abstract:  People with non-pathological diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D)-like symptoms are present at a significant level even in healthy populations, but established prophylaxis is lacking. Previously, we have found that co-administration of Lactobacillus brevis KB290 (KB290) andβ-carotene (βC) attenuated murine colitis (potential cause of IBS-D-like symptoms) significantly. Here, we investigated the effect of KB290 and βC on minor IBS-D-like symptoms in healthy volunteers. After a 4-week run-in period, subjects received a KB290 + βC or placebo capsule for 12 weeks, followed by a 4-week washout period. The KB290 + βC group showed a significant improvement in intensity of abdominal pain and stool frequency compared with the placebo group. The KB290 + βC group showed a significantly higher serum concentration of anti-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-10, compared with the placebo group. In conclusion, we demonstrated that consumption of KB290 + βC improves minor IBS-D-like symptoms and inflammatory status in healthy volunteers. (UMIN000018002). https://greenmedinfo.com/article/lactobacillus-brevis-kb290-and-carotene-improves-minor-ibs-diarrhoea-symptoms-#comments B-Carotene Diarrhea: IBS associated Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lactobacillus Brevis Anti-Inflammatory Agents Gastrointestinal Agents Interleukin-10 upregulation Anti-Inflammatory Agents B-Carotene Diarrhea: IBS associated Gastrointestinal Agents Interleukin-10 upregulation irritable bowel syndrome Lactobacillus Brevis Human Study Mon, 21 Aug 2017 18:12:07 +0000 greenmedinfo 151934 at https://greenmedinfo.com Probiotic supplements could be used to protect from the harmful effects of wheat germ agglutinin. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/probiotic-supplements-could-be-used-protect-harmful-effects-wheat-germ-aggluti n/a PMID:  Br Poult Sci. 2017 Jan 19:1-7. Epub 2017 Jan 19. PMID: 27845560 Abstract Title:  Lactic acid bacteria isolated from poultry protect the intestinal epithelial cells of chickens from in vitro wheat germ agglutinin-induced cytotoxicity. Abstract:  Poultry fed on wheat-based diets regularly ingest wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) that has toxic effects in vitro on intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) obtained from 14-d-old broilers. Cytotoxicity and the potential role of 14 intestinal bacterial strains in the removal of bound lectins in epithelial cell cultures were investigated. Cytotoxicity was dependent on time and lectin concentration; the lethal dose (LD50) was 8.36 µg/ml for IEC exposed for 2 h to WGA. Complementary sugars to WGA were detected on the surface of one Enterococcus and 9 Lactobacillus strains isolated from poultry. These strains were evaluated as a lectin removal tool for cytotoxicity prevention. Incubation of lactic acid bacteria with WGA before IEC-lectin interaction caused a substantial reduction in the percentage of cell deaths. The protection was attributed to the amount of lectin bound to the bacterial surfaces and was strain-dependent. L. salivarius LET 201 and L. reuteri LET 210 were more efficient than the other lactic acid bacteria assayed. These results provide a basis for the development of probiotic supplements or cell-wall preparations of selected lactic acid bacteria intended to avoid harmful effects of a natural constituent of the grain in wheat-based diets. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/probiotic-supplements-could-be-used-protect-harmful-effects-wheat-germ-aggluti#comments Lactobacillus reuteri Lactobacillus salivarius Lectin-Induced Toxicity Gastrointestinal Agents Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA) Gastrointestinal Agents Lactobacillus reuteri Lactobacillus salivarius Lectin-Induced Toxicity Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA) In Vitro Study Mon, 30 Jan 2017 16:38:54 +0000 greenmedinfo 142758 at https://greenmedinfo.com Probiotics can be used to prevent necrotising enterocolitis and nosocomial infection in very low birth weight preterm infants. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/probiotics-can-be-used-prevent-necrotising-enterocolitis-and-nosocomial-infect n/a PMID:  Br J Nutr. 2017 Apr ;117(7):994-1000. Epub 2017 Apr 26. PMID: 28443531 Abstract Title:  Probiotics to prevent necrotising enterocolitis and nosocomial infection in very low birth weight preterm infants. Abstract:  The aim of the study was to determine whether routine probiotic supplementation (RPS) with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) or Lactobacillus acidophilus +Lactobacillus bifidum is associated with reduced risk of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC)≥Stage II in preterm neonates born at ≤32 weeks&#039; gestation. We conducted a retrospective cohort study on the effect of probiotic supplementation in very low birth weight infants in our neonatal unit by comparing two periods: before and after supplementation. The incidence of NEC≥Stage II, late-onset sepsis and all-cause mortality was compared for an equal period &#039;before&#039; (Period I) and &#039;after&#039; (Period II) RPS with LGG or L. acidophillus+L. bifidum. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to adjust for relevant confounders. The study population was composed of 261 neonates(Period I v. II: 134 v. 127) with comparable gestation duration and birth weights. In&lt;32 weeks, we observed a significant reduction in NEC≥Stage II (11·3 v. 4·8 %), late-onset sepsis (16 v. 10·5 %) and mortality (19·4 v. 2·3 %). The benefits in neonates aged ≤27 weeks did not reach statistical significance. RPS with LGG or L. acidophillus+L. bifidum is associated with a reduced risk of NEC≥Stage II, late-onset sepsis and mortality in preterm neonates born at ≤32 weeks&#039; gestation. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/probiotics-can-be-used-prevent-necrotising-enterocolitis-and-nosocomial-infect#comments Infants: Low Birth Weight Lactobacillus Acidophilus Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Necrotising enterocolitis Probiotics Sepsis Gastrointestinal Agents Gastrointestinal Agents Infants: Low Birth Weight Lactobacillus Acidophilus Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Necrotising enterocolitis probiotics Risk Reduction sepsis Human Study Mon, 21 Aug 2017 18:25:29 +0000 greenmedinfo 151938 at https://greenmedinfo.com These findings suggested that berberine may reduce insulin resistance. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/these-findings-suggested-berberine-may-reduce-insulin-resistance n/a PMID:  Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2018 Jan 24. Epub 2018 Jan 24. PMID: 29365334 Abstract Title:  Berberine Modulates Gut Microbiota and Reduces Insulin Resistance via the TLR4 Signaling Pathway. Abstract:  Berberine, a natural compound extracted from several Chinese herbs including Coptis chinensis, has been shown to have anti-obesity effects and prevents insulin resistance in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed obese rats by modulating the gut microbiota; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying these activities remain unknown. We investigated the effects of berberine on obesity and insulin resistance by examining the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α signaling pathway in livers of HFD-fed obese rats. Our results showed that 8-week berberine (200 mg/kg) treatment significantly reduced fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and insulin resistance in HFD-fed obese rats. However, berberine had no significant effects on body weight, visceral fat mass or the visceral fat to body weight ratio. Berberine also attenuated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis. A prolonged HFD altered the gut microbiota composition by reducing protective bacteria like Bifidobacterium and increasing gram negative bacteria like Escherichia coli, which resulted in increased LPS release into plasma. Berberine reversed these effects and inhibited LPS-induced TLR4/TNF-α activation, resulting in increased insulin receptor and insulin receptor substrate-1 expression in the liver. These findings suggested that berberine may reduce insulinresistance, at least in part by modulating the gut microbiota along with inhibiting LPS/TLR4/TNF-α signaling in the liver. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/these-findings-suggested-berberine-may-reduce-insulin-resistance#comments Berberine Insulin Resistance Anti-Inflammatory Agents Gastrointestinal Agents Hypoglycemic Agents Hypolipidemic Anti-Inflammatory Agents Berberine Gastrointestinal Agents Hypoglycemic Agents Hypolipidemic Insulin Resistance Animal Study Wed, 31 Jan 2018 03:48:47 +0000 greenmedinfo 159030 at https://greenmedinfo.com Vitamin A significantly inhibited murine norovirus replication. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/vitamin-significantly-inhibited-murine-norovirus-replication n/a PMID:  Gut Microbes. 2017 Jul 20:1-5. Epub 2017 Jul 20. PMID: 28727498 Abstract Title:  New perspectives regarding the antiviral effect of vitamin A on norovirus using modulation of gut microbiota. Abstract:  Gut microbiota has been revealed to play an important role in various health conditions, and recent studies have suggested the modulation of gut microbiota as a therapeutic strategy. There is no effective treatment of norovirus infection, though vitamin A has been suggested to have an antiviral effect in an epidemiological study. We demonstrated that vitamin A significantly inhibited murine norovirus replication. Vitamin A supplementation significantly increased the abundance of Lactobacillus sp. during norovirus infection, which played a crucial role in antiviral efficacy, inhibiting murine norovirus. Therefore, we elaborated the antiviral effect of vitamin A via modulation of gut microbiota. Furthermore, we suggest a novel strategy, using potential probiotics, as having a protective and therapeutic effect on noroviral infection. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/vitamin-significantly-inhibited-murine-norovirus-replication#comments Norovirus Vitamin A Antiviral Agents Gastrointestinal Agents Antiviral Agents Gastrointestinal Agents Norovirus Vitamin A Animal Study Mon, 21 Aug 2017 17:48:50 +0000 greenmedinfo 151933 at https://greenmedinfo.com