BackgroundIn Japan, a variety of traditional dietary habits and daily routines have developed in many regions. The effects of these behaviors, and the regional differences in the composition of the gut microbiota, are yet to be sufficiently studied. To characterize the Japanese gut microbiota and identify the factors shaping its composition, we conducted 16S metagenomics analysis of fecal samples collected from healthy Japanese adults residing in various regions of Japan. Each participant also completed a 94-question lifestyle questionnaire.ResultsWe collected fecal samples from 516 healthy Japanese adults (325 females, 191 males; age, 21–88). Heatmap and biplot analyses based on the bacterial family composition of the fecal microbiota showed that subjects’ region of residence or gender were not strongly correlated with the general composition of the fecal microbiota. Although clustering analysis for the whole cohort did not reveal any distinct clusters, two enterotype-like clusters were observed in the male, but not the female, subjects.In the whole subject population, the scores for bowel movement frequency were significantly correlated with the abundances of Christensenellaceae, Mogibacteriaceae, and Rikenellaceae in the fecal microbiota (P < 0.001). These three bacterial families were also significantly more abundant (P < 0.05 or 0.01) in lean subjects (body mass index (BMI) < 25) than in obese subjects (BMI > 30), which is consistent with previously published results. However, a previously reported correlation between BMI and bowel movement frequency was not observed. In addition, the abundances of these three families were positively correlated with each other and comprised a correlative network with 14 other bacterial families.ConclusionsThe present study showed that the composition of the fecal microbiota of healthy Japanese adults at the national level was not strongly correlated with subjects’ area of residence or gender. In addition, enterotype partitioning was ambiguous in this cohort of healthy Japanese adults. Finally, the results implied that the abundances of Christensenellaceae, Mogibacteriaceae, and Rikenellaceae, along with several other bacterial components that together comprised a correlative network, contributed to a phenotype characterized by a high frequency of bowel movements and a lean body type.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12866-016-0898-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
The development of gut microbiota during infancy is an important event that affects the health status of the host; however, the mechanism governing it is not fully understood, l‐Amino acid oxidase 1 (LAO1) is a flavoprotein that catalyzes the oxidative deamination of particular l‐amino acids and converts them into keto acids, ammonia, and H2O2. Our previous study showed that LAO1 is present in mouse milk and exerts protection against bacteria by its production of H2O2. The data led us to consider whether LAO1, H2O2, or both could impact infant gut microbiota development via mother's milk consumption in mice. Different gut microbiota profiles were observed in the wild‐type (WT) and LAO1‐knockout mouse pups. The WT pups' microbiota was relatively simple and composed of only a few dominant bacteria, such as Lactobacillus, whereas the lactating knockout pups had high microbiota diversity. Cross‐fostering experiments indicated that WT milk (containing LAO1) has the ability to suppress the diversity of microbiota in pups. We observed that the stomach content of pups fed WT milk had LAO1 proteins and the ability to produce H2O2. Moreover, culture experiments showed that Lactobacillus was abundant in the feces of pups fed WT milk and that Lactobacillus was more resistant to H2O2 than Bifidobacterium and Escherichia. Human breast milk produces very little H2O2, which could be the reason for Lactobacillus not being dominant in the feces of breast‐fed human infants. In mouse mother's milk, H2O2 is generated from the process of free amino acid metabolism, and H2O2 may be a key player in regulating the initial acquisition and development of gut microbiota, especially growth of Lactobacillus, during infancy.—Shigeno, Y., Zhang, H., Banno, T., Usuda, K., Nochi, T., Inoue, R., Watanabe, G., Jin, W., Benno, Y., Nagaoka, K. Gut microbiota development in mice is affected by hydrogen peroxide produced from amino acid metabolism during lactation. FASEB J. 33, 3343–3352 (2019). http://www.fasebj.org
The protective effect of free radical scavengers against phototoxicity was investigated with tin-protoporphyrin (SnPP)-treated suckling rats. Six kinds of scavengers (L-ascorbic acid, reduced glutathione, α-tocopherol, retinol, uric acid and cystine) were intraperitoneally injected to rats treated with SnPP plus photoirradiation. Among them, L-ascorbic acid was found to be most effective in protecting SnPP-treated rats against phototoxicity. The survival period was markedly prolonged, and the frequency of abnormal behaviors was reduced with the treatment. Lipid peroxidation in vitro with the brain membrane fraction was also suppressed. The other five substances gave only a little antioxidant effect both in vivo and in vitro. The present study shows that L-ascorbic acid may be a promising chemical to prevent the phototoxicity of SnPP.
We examined the effects of cobalt-mesoporphyrin (CoMP) in vitro. The porphyrin inhibited the activity of rat splenic heme oxygenase but scarcely stimulated peroxidation of lipids in a membrane fraction from rat brain during photoirradiation. The apparent inhibition constant for CoMP was 344 nM. It is suggested that CoMP may be a promising candidate for a chemopreventive of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia that is not associated with phototoxicity.
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