Early weaned piglets are vulnerable to diarrhea because of weaning stress and immaturity of intestinal tract. Compelling evidence suggests that gut microbiota is vital to host health. However, it is not well understood on the composition and succession of piglet gut microbiota during the weaning transition. In our two trials, total 17 commercial piglets were studied in a pig farm in Jiangxi Province, China. Fresh feces were collected for four times (10 days before weaned, weaned day, 10 days after weaned, 21 days after weaned) by rectal massage. Fecal bacterial composition was assessed by 16S rRNA gene V3–V4 regions sequencing by Illumina Miseq platform. The results showed that the gut microbiota of piglets shifted quickly after weaned and reached relatively stable level in 10 days after weaned. The alpha diversity increased significantly with the age of piglets. The microbiota of suckling piglets was mainly represented by Fusobacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, Escherichia/Shigella, and Megasphaera. This pattern contrasted with that of Clostridium sensu stricto, Roseburia, Paraprevotella, Clostridium XIVa, and Blautia, which were major representative genera after weaned. In summary, we delineated the development of piglet gut microbiota during the weaning transition. This study helps us understand the maturing development of gut microbiota in commercial piglets.
Objective: The oral microbiota is associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the relationship between the oral microbiota and disease progression in the elderly population remains to be determined. Design: In our study, we recruited 150 elderly Chinese residents and divided them into three groups according to their fasting glucose (FG) level: normal (N), high (H), and very high (VH). Their biochemical indexes were analyzed using blood samples. Saliva samples were collected and the oral microbiome was profiled by high-throughput sequencing of the V3-V4 area of the 16S rRNA gene. Result: Our results revealed that the VH group showed deterioration of the metabolic phenotype and dysbiosis of the oral microbiota simultaneously when compared to the other two groups. Furthermore, potential disease-associated bacterial genera including Leptotrichia, Staphylococcus, Catonella, and Bulleidia were significantly enriched in the VH group. Conclusions: These results suggest that dysbiosis of the oral microbiota may be a typical feature of hyperglycemia and might also contribute to disease aggravation in the progression of hyperglycemias.
Recently, accumulating evidence revealed that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is highly associated with the dysbiosis of gut microbiota. Jiang Zhi Granule (JZG), which is composed of five widely used Chinese herbs, has shown hypolipidemic effect, while whether such effect is mediated by gut microbiota is still unclear. Here, we found that both low and high doses of JZG (LJZ and HJZ) could improve hepatic steatosis and function, as well as insulin resistance in NAFLD mice. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that JZG treatment could reverse the dysbiosis of intestinal flora in NAFLD mice, exhibiting a dose-dependent effect. Notably, HJZ could significantly reduce the relative abundance of Desulfovibrionaceae, while increasing the relative abundance of such as S24_7 and Lachnospiraceae. PICRUSt analysis showed that HJZ could significantly alter the functional profile of gut microbiota, including the reduction of the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and sulfur metabolism pathway, which is verified by the decreased levels of fecal hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and serum lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP). In addition, hepatic mRNA sequencing further indicated that the HJZ group can regulate the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pathway and inflammatory signaling pathway, as validated by RT-PCR and Western blot. We also found that different doses of JZG may regulate lipid metabolism through differentiated pathways, as LJZ mainly through the promotion of hepatic lipid hydrolysis, while HJZ mainly through the improvement of hepatic lipid oxidation. Taken together, JZG could modulate gut dysbiosis with dose-effect, alleviate inflammation level, and regulate hepatic lipid metabolism, which may subsequently contribute to the improvement of NAFLD. Our study revealed the underlying mechanisms in the improvement of NAFLD by a Chinese herbal compound, providing future guidance for clinical usage.
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