Chemoprevention in Gastrointestinal Physiology and Disease. Natural products and microbiome

Abstract

The human intestinal tract harbors a complex ecosystem of commensal bacteria that play a fundamental role in the well-being of their host. There is a general consensus that diet rich in plant-based foods has many advantages in relation to the health and well-being of an individual. In adults, diets that have a high proportion of fruit and vegetables and a low consumption of meat are associated with a highly diverse microbiota and are defined by a greater abundance of Prevotella compared with Bacteroides, whereas the reverse is associated with a diet that contains a low proportion of plant-based foods. In a philosophical term, our consumption of processed foods, widespread use of antibiotics and disinfectants, and our modern lifestyle may have forever altered our ancient gut microbiome. We may never be able to identify or restore our microbiomes to their ancestral state, but dietary modulation to manipulate specific gut microbial species or groups of species may offer new therapeutic approaches to conditions that are prevalent in modern society, such as functional gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, and age-related nutritional deficiency. We believe that this will become an increasingly important area of health research.

Black Raspberries and Their Anthocyanin and Fiber Fractions Alter the Composition and Diversity of Gut Microbiota in F-344 Rats

“…This dynamic microbiome evolves in a mutualistic relationship with our body (18). Gut microbiota plays many important roles to maintain the host health, including fermentation of indigestible dietary compounds, synthesis of vitamins and other beneficial metabolites, and controlling the balance of our immune system (17, 18).…”

“…This dynamic microbiome evolves in a mutualistic relationship with our body (18). Gut microbiota plays many important roles to maintain the host health, including fermentation of indigestible dietary compounds, synthesis of vitamins and other beneficial metabolites, and controlling the balance of our immune system (17, 18). Dysbiosis defines a situation in which the composition and/or activities of the gut microbiota are altered due to a deleterious state of our body (19), and has been shown to associate with many diseases, especially obesity (20, 21), diabetes (5, 22), metabolic syndrome (23), cardiovascular disease (24), inflammatory bowel disease (25) and colorectal cancer (26).…”

Honey and quercetin reduce ochratoxin A-induced DNA damage in the liver and the kidney through the modulation of intestinal microflora

“…Since several studies have shown that microflora may be altered by diet and that colonic probiotic bacteria can remove mycotoxins via physical binding or inactivation (Bennett & Klich, 2003;Davis & Milner, 2009;Greiner et al, 2014;Haskard, El-Nezami, Kankaanpaa, Salminen, & Aholmas, 2001;Rafter, 2002;Saarela et al, 2000;Saulnier et al, 2009), we determined the effect of honey or quercetin on the endogenous colonic probiotic bacteria, activity of colonic microbial enzyme β-glucuronidase and OTA-induced DNA damage.…”

“…This microflora is in a dynamic equilibrium that may be altered by diet (Bennett & Klich, 2003;Davis & Milner, 2009;Saarela, Lahteenmaki, Crittenden, Salminen, & Mattila-Sandholm, 2000). Several studies showed that colonic probiotic bacteria can remove mycotoxins via physical binding as a mechanism for mutagen removal (Bennett & Klich, 2003;Davis & Milner, 2009;Greiner, Papineni, & Umar, 2014;Saarela et al, 2000). In addition, the severity of mycotoxin poisoning can be amplified by factors such as vitamin deficiency, caloric deprivation, alcohol abuse and infectious disease status (Greiner et al, 2014).…”

Cancer chemoprevention with natural agents: Where we are now?

“…The inability of human modeling to do the same has been a source of frustration for many studies, discouraging researchers from pursuing the field of chemoprevention in human. Moreover, the complexity and the variability of gastrointestinal bacteria and the differences in lifestyle choices can negate the potential therapeutic benefits of many substances [22] . There have been studies proving the ability of alcohol and cigarettes to counteract the effect of polyphenols [23] .…”