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Behavioral and Biochemical Factors Associated with Intestinal Microbiota Composition

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2022) | Viewed by 15964

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Prof. Dr. Maria Sofia Cattaruzza

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Guest Editor

Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “La Sapienza” University, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: public health; lifestyles; health promotion; epidemiology; tobacco control; disease prevention; health policy

Prof. Dr. Francesca Gallè

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Co-Guest Editor

Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Naples “Parthenope”, 80133 Naples, Italy
Interests: public health; epidemiology; infectious diseases prevention; behavioral risk; health promotion
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Dr. Federica Valeriani

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Co-Guest Editor

Department of Movement, Human, and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy
Interests: health promotion; sport hygiene; epidemiology; surveillance; public health; biotechnology; adapted physical activity; health policy
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Dear Colleagues,

Intestinal microbiota are crucial regulators of human health and diseases. They maintain mucosal integrity; regulate the absorption of nutrients; exert competitive inhibition by preventing colonization by any other pathogenic microorganisms; and produce substances such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and polysaccharide A, which modulate immune homeostasis and local immune responses toward pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory states. Their alteration has repercussions on various distant sites: not only on the well-known gut–brain and gut–lung axes but also on adipose tissue and the cardiocirculatory system. What causes an imbalance in homeostasis in the human body needs to be better understood. Evidence from in vivo and experimental studies has accumulated, but many aspects are still unclear. Personal characteristics such as age, gender, and behavioral and biochemical factors could have great influence on microbiota, but scientific research is still scanty and the results are not homogeneous. Further research from a multidisciplinary approach, both using in vitro and in vivo models, is needed to provide new perspectives and a deeper comprehension of intestinal microbiota.
In this Special Issue, papers on the role of behavioral and biochemical factors in intestinal microbiota composition, both in health and disease conditions, will be included. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

Diet and gut microbiota;
Physical activity/inactivity and gut microbiota;
Addictions and gut microbiota;
Dietary supplements or drugs effects on gut microbiota;
Gut microbiota throughout the lifespan;
Gut microbiota and biomarkers;
Gut microbiota and psychological disorders.

Submissions of original research articles and reviews (meta-analyses, and systematic and narrative reviews) are welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Maria Sofia Cattaruzza
Prof. Dr. Francesca Gallè
Dr. Federica Valeriani
Co-Guest Editors

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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 microbiota
behaviors
addictions
lifestyles
biomarkers

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2457 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Plasma Concentrations of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Active and Recovered Anorexia Nervosa

by Jingjing Xu, Rikard Landberg, Catharina Lavebratt, Cynthia M. Bulik, Mikael Landén and Ida A. K. Nilsson

Nutrients 2022, 14(24), 5247; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14245247 - 09 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3375

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is one of the most lethal psychiatric disorders. To date, we lack adequate knowledge about the (neuro)biological mechanisms of this disorder to inform evidence-based pharmacological treatment. Gut dysbiosis is a trending topic in mental health, including AN. Communication between the gut microbiota and the brain is partly mediated by metabolites produced by the gut microbiota such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Previous research has suggested a role of SCFA in weight regulation (e.g., correlations between specific SCFA-producing bacteria and BMI have been demonstrated). Moreover, fecal SCFA concentrations are reported to be altered in active AN. However, data concerning SCFA concentrations in individuals who have recovered from AN are limited. In the present study, we analyzed and compared the plasma concentrations of seven SCFA (acetic-, butyric-, formic-, isobutyric-, isovaleric-, propionic-, and succinic acid) in females with active AN (n = 109), recovered from AN (AN-REC, n = 108), and healthy-weight age-matched controls (CTRL, n = 110), and explored correlations between SCFA concentrations and BMI. Significantly lower plasma concentrations of butyric, isobutyric-, and isovaleric acid were detected in AN as well as AN-REC compared with CTRL. We also show significant correlations between plasma concentrations of SCFA and BMI. These results encourage studies evaluating whether interventions directed toward altering gut microbiota and SCFA could support weight restoration in AN. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Behavioral and Biochemical Factors Associated with Intestinal Microbiota Composition)

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21 pages, 3867 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gut Microbiota and Fear Processing in Women Affected by Obesity: An Exploratory Pilot Study

by Federica Scarpina, Silvia Turroni, Sara Mambrini, Monica Barone, Stefania Cattaldo, Stefania Mai, Elisa Prina, Ilaria Bastoni, Simone Cappelli, Gianluca Castelnuovo, Patrizia Brigidi, Massimo Scacchi and Alessandro Mauro

Nutrients 2022, 14(18), 3788; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14183788 - 14 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2307

Abstract

The microbiota–gut–brain axis extends beyond visceral perception, influencing higher-order brain structures, and ultimately psychological functions, such as fear processing. In this exploratory pilot study, we attempted to provide novel experimental evidence of a relationship between gut microbiota composition and diversity, and fear-processing in obesity, through a behavioral approach. Women affected by obesity were enrolled and profiled for gut microbiota, through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Moreover, we tested their ability to recognize facial fearful expressions through an implicit-facial-emotion-recognition task. Finally, a traditional self-report questionnaire was used to assess their temperamental traits. The participants exhibited an unbalanced gut microbiota profile, along with impaired recognition of fearful expressions. Interestingly, dysbiosis was more severe in those participants with altered behavioral performance, with a decrease in typically health-associated microbes, and an increase in the potential pathobiont, Collinsella. Moreover, Collinsella was related to a lower expression of the persistence temperamental trait, while a higher expression of the harm-avoidance temperament, related to fear-driven anxiety symptoms, was linked to Lactobacillus. Once confirmed, our findings could pave the way for the design of innovative microbiome-based strategies for the treatment of psychological and emotional difficulties by mitigating obesity-related consequences and behaviors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Behavioral and Biochemical Factors Associated with Intestinal Microbiota Composition)

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18 pages, 2938 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Salt-Sensitive Ileal Microbiota Plays a Role in Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Deficiency-Induced Cardiac Injury

by Siqi Li, Sishuo Chen, Min Nie, Lijing Wen, Bin Zou, Lingyu Zhang, Jingzhou Xie, Hooi-Leng Ser, Learn-Han Lee, Shunyi Wang, Caixia Lin, Janak L. Pathak, Weijie Zhou, Ji Miao, Lijing Wang and Lingyun Zheng

Nutrients 2022, 14(15), 3129; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14153129 - 29 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2326

Abstract

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) activity deficiency contributes to salt-sensitive hypertension in humans and mice. However, the role of ileal microbiota in salt sensitivity in ANP deficiency-related cardiac injury has not been investigated yet. This study used ANP^−/− mice to analyze the role of the salt-sensitive ileal microbiome on cardiac injury. ANP^−/− mice showed an increase in blood pressure (BP), the heart weight/body weight (HW/BW) ratio, and cardiac hypertrophy compared with wild-type (WT) mice. ANP deficiency did not impact the histological structure but reduced occludin expression in the ileum. Antibiotics significantly relieved BP and cardiac hypertrophy in ANP^−/− mice. A high-salt diet (HSD) increased BP, the HW/BW ratio, and cardiac hypertrophy/fibrosis in WT and ANP^−/− mice, and an HSD treatment in ANP^−/− mice exacerbated these cardiac parameters. The HSD markedly decreased muscularis layer thickening, villus length, and numbers of Paneth and goblet cells in the ileum of WT and ANP^−/− mice. Furthermore, the HSD increased the level of TLR4 and IL-1β in ANP^−/− mice ileum compared with WT mice. Antibiotics reduced the HW/BW ratio, cardiac hypertrophy/fibrosis, and the level of TLR4 and IL-1β in the ileum, and rescued the muscularis layer thickening, villus length, and numbers of Paneth and goblet cells in the ileum of HSD-ANP^−/− mice. Importantly, ANP deficiency induced the colonization of Burkholderiales bacterium YL45, Lactobacillus johnsonii, and Lactobacillus reuteri in the ileum on the NSD diet, which was only observed in HSD-induced WT mice but not in WT mice on the NSD. Besides, the HSD significantly enhanced the sum of the percentage of the colonization of Burkholderiales bacterium YL45, Lactobacillus johnsonii, and Lactobacillus reuteri in the ileum of ANP^−/− mice. Ileal microbiota transfer (IMT) from ANP^−/− mice to healthy C57BL/6J mice drove Lactobacillus johnsonii and Lactobacillus reuteri colonization in the ileum, which manifested an increase in BP, the HW/BW ratio, cardiac hypertrophy, and ileal pathology compared with IMT from WT mice. The HSD in C57BL/6J mice with IMT from ANP^−/− mice drove the colonization of Burkholderiales bacterium YL45, Lactobacillus johnsonii, and Lactobacillus reuteri in the ileum and further exacerbated the cardiac and ileal pathology. Our results suggest that salt-sensitive ileal microbiota is probably related to ANP deficiency-induced cardiac injury. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Behavioral and Biochemical Factors Associated with Intestinal Microbiota Composition)

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Review

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18 pages, 1094 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Systematic Review of the Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on the Gut Microbiome of Older Adults

by Catarina Ramos, Glenn R. Gibson, Gemma E. Walton, Daniele Magistro, Will Kinnear and Kirsty Hunter

Nutrients 2022, 14(3), 674; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030674 - 05 Feb 2022

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 7399

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that exercise/physical activity (PA) can beneficially alter the gut microbiome composition of young people, but little is known about its effects in older adults. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize results of human studies that have assessed the effects/associations of PA/exercise on the gut microbiome of older adults and to better understand whether this can help promote healthy ageing. Seven studies were included in the review and overall, exercise and increased amounts of PA were associated with decreases in the abundance of several well-known harmful taxa and increases in the abundance of health-promoting taxa. Altogether, the findings from the included studies suggest that exercise/PA have a beneficial impact on the gut health of older adults by improving the gut microbiome composition. However, due to methodological and sampling disparities, it was not possible to reach a consensus on which taxa were most affected by exercise or PA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Behavioral and Biochemical Factors Associated with Intestinal Microbiota Composition)

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