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Nutrients
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Probiotics, Prebiotics and Gut Health
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Probiotics, Prebiotics and Gut Health

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Prebiotics and Probiotics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 November 2024 | Viewed by 4516

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hein Min Tun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Interests: microbiome in health and diseases; system microbiology; host–microbe interactions; gut–brain axis; microbiome-immunity-infection; antimicrobial resistance in One Health
Dr. Xi Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Interests: host–microbe interactions; early-life microbiome; immunomodulation of gastrointestinal tract; emerging infectious diseases

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decade, extensive studies have reported the beneficial effect of prebiotics and probiotics on immunomodulation, metabolic health and gastrointestinal (GI) functions. However, we are still at the very beginning of understanding how dietary prebiotic and probiotic supplements favourably modulate the composition or metabolic/immunological activity of the human gut microbiota and ultimately impact gut health and the development of chronic diseases, especially for special populations including the elderly, pregnant women and infants.

For this Special Issue, we welcome all narrative and systematic reviews and original research articles on any aspects (i.e., clinical, in vivo, in vitro) that explore the impact of probiotics and prebiotics on gut health and human diseases. We encourage nutritionists and other experts to share their expert views on the bioactive effects, potential mechanisms, and clinical actions of prebiotic and probiotic administration, using evidence-based approaches. We also look forward to population-based discussions on the complex role of prebiotics and probiotics on GI-tract function and diseases.

Dr. Hein Min Tun
Dr. Xi Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gut health
  • prebiotics and probiotics
  • gut microbiota
  • elderly
  • pregnant women
  • infant

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 6963 KiB  
Article
The Whole-Genome Sequencing and Probiotic Profiling of Lactobacillus reuteri Strain TPC32 Isolated from Tibetan Pig
by Qinghui Kong, Zhenda Shang, Shah Nawaz, Suozhu Liu and Jiakui Li
Nutrients 2024, 16(12), 1900; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16121900 - 16 Jun 2024
Viewed by 408
Abstract
Gut microbiota are the microbial organisms that play a pivotal role in intestinal health and during disease conditions. Keeping in view the characteristic functions of gut microbiota, in this study, Lactobacillus reuteri TPC32 (L. reuteri TPC32) was isolated and identified, and its [...] Read more.
Gut microbiota are the microbial organisms that play a pivotal role in intestinal health and during disease conditions. Keeping in view the characteristic functions of gut microbiota, in this study, Lactobacillus reuteri TPC32 (L. reuteri TPC32) was isolated and identified, and its whole genome was analyzed by the Illumina MiSeq sequencing platform. The results revealed that L. reuteri TPC32 had high resistance against acid and bile salts with fine in vitro antibacterial ability. Accordingly, a genome sequence of L. reuteri TPC32 has a total length of 2,214,495 base pairs with a guanine–cytosine content of 38.81%. Based on metabolic annotation, out of 2,212 protein-encoding genes, 118 and 101 were annotated to carbohydrate metabolism and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, respectively. Similarly, drug-resistance and virulence genes were annotated using the comprehensive antibiotic research database (CARD) and the virulence factor database (VFDB), in which vatE and tetW drug-resistance genes were annotated in L. reuteri TPC32, while virulence genes are not annotated. The early prevention of L. reuteri TPC32 reduced the Salmonella typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) infection in mice. The results show that L. reuteri TPC32 could improve the serum IgM, decrease the intestinal cytokine secretion to relieve intestinal cytokine storm, reinforce the intestinal biochemical barrier function by elevating the sIgA expression, and strengthen the intestinal physical barrier function. Simultaneously, based on the 16S rRNA analysis, the L. reuteri TPC32 results affect the recovery of intestinal microbiota from disease conditions and promote the multiplication of beneficial bacteria. These results provide new insights into the biological functions and therapeutic potential of L. reuteri TPC32 for treating intestinal inflammation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Probiotics, Prebiotics and Gut Health)
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26 pages, 16101 KiB  
Article
Variation in the Conservation of Species-Specific Gene Sets for HMO Degradation and Its Effects on HMO Utilization in Bifidobacteria
by Gerben D. A. Hermes, Christine Rasmussen and Anja Wellejus
Nutrients 2024, 16(12), 1893; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16121893 - 15 Jun 2024
Viewed by 588
Abstract
Human milk provides essential nutrients for infants but also consists of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which are resistant to digestion by the infant. Bifidobacteria are among the first colonizers, providing various health benefits for the host. This is largely facilitated by their ability [...] Read more.
Human milk provides essential nutrients for infants but also consists of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which are resistant to digestion by the infant. Bifidobacteria are among the first colonizers, providing various health benefits for the host. This is largely facilitated by their ability to efficiently metabolize HMOs in a species-specific way. Nevertheless, these abilities can vary significantly by strain, and our understanding of the mechanisms applied by different strains from the same species remains incomplete. Therefore, we assessed the effects of strain-level genomic variation in HMO utilization genes on growth on HMOs in 130 strains from 10 species of human associated bifidobacteria. Our findings highlight the extent of genetic diversity between strains of the same species and demonstrate the effects on species-specific HMO utilization, which in most species is largely retained through the conservation of a core set of genes or the presence of redundant pathways. These data will help to refine our understanding of the genetic factors that contribute to the persistence of individual strains and will provide a better mechanistic rationale for the development and optimization of new early-life microbiota-modulating products to improve infant health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Probiotics, Prebiotics and Gut Health)
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18 pages, 2314 KiB  
Article
Selection of Fermentation Supernatant from Probiotic Strains Exhibiting Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Protective Ability and Evaluation of Their Effects on Colitis Mouse and Weaned Piglet Models
by Solomon Abrehame, Man-Yun Hung, Yu-Yi Chen, Yu-Tse Liu, Yung-Tsung Chen, Fang-Chueh Liu, Yu-Chun Lin and Yen-Po Chen
Nutrients 2024, 16(8), 1138; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16081138 - 12 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1700
Abstract
The intestinal epithelial barrier can prevent the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms and food antigens to maintain a consistent intestinal homeostasis. However, an imbalance in this barrier can result in various diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, malnutrition, and metabolic disease. Thus, the aim [...] Read more.
The intestinal epithelial barrier can prevent the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms and food antigens to maintain a consistent intestinal homeostasis. However, an imbalance in this barrier can result in various diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, malnutrition, and metabolic disease. Thus, the aim of this study was to select probiotic strains with epithelial barrier-enhancing ability in cell-based model and further investigate them for their improving effects on colitis mouse and weaned piglet models. The results showed that selected specific cell-free fermentation supernatants (CFSs) from Ligilactobacillus salivarius P1, Lactobacillus gasseri P12, and Limosilactobacillus reuteri G7 promoted intestinal epithelial cell growth and proliferation, strengthening the intestinal barrier in an intestinal epithelial cell line Caco-2 model. Further, the administration of CFSs of L. salivarius P1, L. gasseri P12, and L. reuteri G7 were found to ameliorate DSS-induced colitis in mice. Additionally, spray-dried powders of CFS from the three strains were examined in a weaned piglet model, only CFS powder of L. reuteri G7 could ameliorate the feed/gain ratio and serum levels of D-lactate and endotoxin. In conclusion, a new potential probiotic strain, L. reuteri G7, was selected and showed ameliorating effects in both colitis mouse and weaned piglet models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Probiotics, Prebiotics and Gut Health)
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17 pages, 3260 KiB  
Article
Microencapsulated Limosilactobacillus reuteri Encoding Lactoferricin-Lactoferrampin Targeted Intestine against Salmonella typhimurium Infection
by Xueying Wang, Weichun Xie, Limeng Cai, Chuang Han, Hongdi Kuang, Yilan Shao, Senhao Zhang, Qi Zhang, Jiaxuan Li, Wen Cui, Yanping Jiang and Lijie Tang
Nutrients 2023, 15(24), 5141; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15245141 - 18 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1309
Abstract
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium) is an important foodborne pathogen that infects both humans and animals and develops acute gastroenteritis. As porcine intestines are relatively similar to the human ones due to their relatively similar sizes and structural similarity, S. [...] Read more.
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium) is an important foodborne pathogen that infects both humans and animals and develops acute gastroenteritis. As porcine intestines are relatively similar to the human ones due to their relatively similar sizes and structural similarity, S. typhimurium causes analogous symptoms in both. Novel strategies for controlling S. typhimurium infection are also desired, such as mucosal-targeted delivery of probiotics and antimicrobial peptides. The bovine lactoferricin-lactoferrampin-encoding Limosilactobacillus reuteri (LR-LFCA) strain improves intestinal barrier function by strengthening the intestinal barrier. Weaned piglets were selected for oral administration of microencapsulated LR-LFCA (microcapsules entrap LR-LFCA into gastro-resistant polymers) and then infected with S. typhimurium for 3 days. We found that orally administering microencapsulated LR-LFCA to weaned piglets attenuated S. typhimurium-induced production of inflammatory factors in the intestinal mucosa by inhibiting the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and P38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway. Moreover, microencapsulated LR-LFCA administration significantly suppressed the oxidative stress that may correlate with gut microbiota (reduced Salmonella population and increased α-diversity and Lactobacillus abundance) and intestinal function (membrane transport and metabolism). Our work demonstrated that microencapsulated LR-LFCA effectively targeted intestine delivery of Lactobacillus and antimicrobial peptides and modulated gut microbiota and mucosal immunity. This study reveals a novel targeting mucosal strategy against S. typhimurium infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Probiotics, Prebiotics and Gut Health)
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