Beneficial effect of butyrate‐producing Lachnospiraceae on stress‐induced visceral hypersensitivity in rats

Abstract

Background and Aim Emerging evidence indicates that psychological stress is involved in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome, which is characterized by visceral hypersensitivity and may be accompanied by gut dysbiosis. However, how such stress contributes to the development of visceral hypersensitivity is incompletely understood. Here, we aimed to investigate the influence that stress‐induced microbial changes exert on visceral sensitivity, as well as the possible underlying mechanisms associated with this effect. Methods Male Sprague–Dawley rats underwent chronic water avoidance stress (WAS) to induce visceral hypersensitivity. Visceral sensitivity, colonic tight junction protein expression, and short‐chain fatty acids of cecal contents were measured. Fecal samples were collected to characterize microbiota profiles. In a separate study, oral gavage of Roseburia in WAS rats was conducted to verify its potential role in the effectiveness on visceral hypersensitivity. Results Repeated WAS caused visceral hypersensitivity, altered fecal microbiota composition and function, and decreased occludin expression in the colon. Stressed rats exhibited reduced representation of pathways involved in the metabolism of butyrate and reduced abundance of several operational taxonomic units associated with butyrate‐producing bacteria, such as Lachnospiraceae. Consistently, supplementation with Roseburia hominis, a species belonging to Lachnospiraceae, significantly increased cecal butyrate content. Moreover, Roseburia supplementation alleviated visceral hypersensitivity and prevented the decreased expression of occludin. Conclusions Reduction in the abundance of butyrate‐producing Lachnospiraceae, which is beneficial for the intestinal barrier, was involved in the formation of visceral hypersensitivity. R. hominis is a potential probiotic for treating stress‐induced visceral hypersensitivity.

Butyric acid normalizes hyperglycemia caused by the tacrolimus-induced gut microbiota

“…It has been reported that supplementation with the Lachnospiraceae species Roseburia hominis significantly increased the cecal butyrate content, alleviated visceral hypersensitivity, and prevented the decrease in expression of occludin in rats that experienced chronic water avoidance stress 31 . Akkermansia muciniphila is characterized by its potential ability to grow on mucin 31 and exhibits a genome containing a high number of enzymes for degradation of human‐derived mucins, 32 using sulfate as energy but not being able to utilize mucin 33,34 . Generally, high levels abundances of Akkermansia have been associated with a healthy gut microbiome community in several studies 35,36 .…”

Detection and isolation of the typical gut indigenous bacteria from ddY mice fed a casein‐beef tallow‐based or egg yolk‐based diet

“…Lachnospiraceae is a family of general commensal bacteria found in the human gut that has been shown to be positively associated with body mass index (Kasai et al., 2015). However, some Lachnospiraceae are considered to be beneficial gut symbionts due to their butyrate‐producing properties (Zhang et al., 2019). The most common EY‐SIB, Allobaculum sp., is regarded as a general gut‐indigenous bacterium in laboratory animals (Shikano et al., 2019; Wang, Zhang, Wang, Zhang, & Shao, 2018), but its functional properties are unknown.…”

Enlightening the Taxonomy Darkness of Human Gut Microbiomes With Cultured Biobank

“…The Lachnospiraceae, as one of the most dominant families in the GM of healthy adults, accounted for 10-45% of total bacteria in feces [49], and were considered playing diverse but controversial roles in the maintenance of host gut homeostasis [50,51]. On one hand, Lachnospiraceae members such as Roseburia species, were bene cial to hosts via production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and secondary bile acids [52][53][54], protection of hosts from pathogen infections [53,55,56] and from stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity [52]. Yet, on the other hand, researches displayed positive correlations between Lachnospiraceae and diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) [57] and chronic kidney disease (CKD) [58].…”