Compositional dynamics of the human intestinal microbiota with aging: Implications for health

Lakshminarayanan, Bhuvaneswari; Stanton, Catherine; O’Toole, Paul W.; Ross, R. Paul

doi:10.1007/s12603-014-0549-6

Cited by 67 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 214 publications

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“…It is tempting to speculate that this is a protective mechanism to preserve small intestinal function and its associated nutrient assimilation processes, or that age‐related changes in the colon reflect a lifelong exposure to the microbiome (Lakshminarayanan et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Ageing and gastrointestinal sensory function: altered colonic mechanosensory and chemosensory function in the aged mouse

Keating

Nocchi

et al. 2016

The Journal of Physiology

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Key points Remarkably little is known about how age affects the sensory signalling pathways in the gastrointestinal tract despite age‐related gastrointestinal dysfunction being a prime cause of morbidity amongst the elderly populationHigh‐threshold gastrointestinal sensory nerves play a key role in signalling distressing information from the gut to the brain.We found that ageing is associated with attenuated high‐threshold afferent mechanosensitivity in the murine colon, and associated loss of TRPV1 channel function.These units have the capacity to sensitise in response to injurious events, and their loss in ageing may predispose the elderly to lower awareness of GI injury or disease. AbstractAgeing has a profound effect upon gastrointestinal function through mechanisms that are poorly understood. Here we investigated the effect of age upon gastrointestinal sensory signalling pathways in order to address the mechanisms underlying these changes. In vitro mouse colonic and jejunal preparations with attached splanchnic and mesenteric nerves were used to study mechanosensory and chemosensory afferent function in 3‐, 12‐ and 24‐month‐old C57BL/6 animals. Quantitative RT‐PCR was used to investigate mRNA expression in colonic tissue and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells isolated from 3‐ and 24‐month animals, and immunohistochemistry was used to quantify the number of 5‐HT‐expressing enterochromaffin (EC) cells. Colonic and jejunal afferent mechanosensory function was attenuated with age and these effects appeared earlier in the colon compared to the jejunum. Colonic age‐related loss of mechanosensory function was more pronounced in high‐threshold afferents compared to low‐threshold afferents. Chemosensory function was attenuated in the 24‐month colon, affecting TRPV1 and serotonergic signalling pathways. High‐threshold mechanosensory afferent fibres and small‐diameter DRG neurons possessed lower functional TRPV1 receptor responses, which occurred without a change in TRPV1 mRNA expression. Serotonergic signalling was attenuated at 24 months, but TPH1 and TPH2 mRNA expression was elevated in colonic tissue. In conclusion, we saw an age‐associated decrease in afferent mechanosensitivity in the mouse colon affecting HT units. These units have the capacity to sensitise in response to injurious events, and their loss in ageing may predispose the elderly to lower awareness of GI injury or disease.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Ageing and gastrointestinal sensory function: altered colonic mechanosensory and chemosensory function in the aged mouse

Keating

Nocchi

et al. 2016

The Journal of Physiology

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“…This is not surprising due to the consistency of the shared genetics, diet and dietary fiber amounts, social community, lack of medication effects, and housing exposures (42–44). The fecal microbiome represents a “catch-all” approach for estimation of colonic contents and may not represent location-specific microbiomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduced intestinal motility, mucosal barrier function, and inflammation in aged monkeys

Mitchell

Davis

Brass

et al. 2017

The Journal of nutrition, health and aging

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Objective: We aimed to examine the general health and intestinal physiology of young and old non-human primates with comparable life histories and dietary environments. Design: Vervet monkeys (Chlorcebus aethiops sabaeus) in stable and comparable social and nutritional environments were selected for evaluation. Health phenotype, circulating cytokines and biomarkers of microbial translocation (MT) were measured (n=26–44). Subsets of monkeys additionally had their intestinal motility, intestinal permeability, and fecal microbiomes characterized. These outcomes document age-related intestinal changes present in the absence of nutritional stressors, which are all known to affect gastrointestinal motility, microbiome, and MT. Results: We found that old monkeys have greater systemic inflammation and poor intestinal barrier function as compared to young monkeys. Old monkeys have dramatically reduced intestinal motility, and all changes in motility and MT are present without large differences in fecal microbiomes. Conclusion: We conclude that deteriorating intestinal function is a feature of normal aging and could represent the source of inflammatory burden yet to be explained by disease or diet in normal aging human primate populations. Intestinal changes were seen independent of dietary influences and aging within a consistent environment appears to avoid major microbiome shifts. Our data suggests interventions to promote intestinal motility and mucosal barrier function have the potential to support better health with aging.

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“…20 However, the classification of human-associated bacteria in enterotypes is a debated concept; some studies, employing short-term intervention, have suggested that these enterotypes appear to be stable 21,22 but, by contrast, other studies have shown that this classification is not clear and that several approaches should be employed and compared, when testing enterotypes. 25 The reported age-related differences in the intestinal microbiota composition include a reduction in species diversity, shifts in the dominant species, a decline in beneficial microorganisms, an increase of facultative anaerobic bacteria and a decrease in the availability of total shortchain fatty acids. 25 The reported age-related differences in the intestinal microbiota composition include a reduction in species diversity, shifts in the dominant species, a decline in beneficial microorganisms, an increase of facultative anaerobic bacteria and a decrease in the availability of total shortchain fatty acids.…”

Section: Nuria Salazarmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between phenolic compounds from diet and microbiota: impact on human health

et al. 2015

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The human intestinal tract is home to a complex microbial community called microbiota. This gut microbiota, whilst playing essential roles in the maintenance of the health of the host, is exposed to the impact of external factors such as the use of medication or dietary patterns. Alterations in the composition and/or function of the microbiota have been described in several disease states, underlining the role of the gut microbiota in keeping the health status. Among the different dietary compounds, polyphenols constitute a very interesting group as some of them have been found to possess important biological activities, including antioxidant, anticarcinogenic or antimicrobial activities. The term polyphenol comprises thousands of molecules presenting a phenol ring and are widely distributed in plant foods. The bioactivity of these compounds is highly dependent on their intestinal absorption and often they are ingested as non-absorbable precursors that are transformed into bioactive forms by specific microorganisms in the intestine. Some of these microorganisms have been identified and the enzymatic steps involved have been elucidated. However, little is known about the impact of these ingested polyphenols upon the human gut microbiota. The heterogeneity of the polyphenol compounds and their food sources, as well as their coexistence with other bioactive compounds within a normal diet, together with the complexity of the human gut microbiota make difficult the understanding of the interactions between dietary polyphenols and gut microbes. This is, however, an important area of research which promises to expand our knowledge on the food functionality area through understanding the microbiota-food component interaction.

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Compositional dynamics of the human intestinal microbiota with aging: Implications for health

Cited by 67 publications

References 214 publications

Ageing and gastrointestinal sensory function: altered colonic mechanosensory and chemosensory function in the aged mouse

Ageing and gastrointestinal sensory function: altered colonic mechanosensory and chemosensory function in the aged mouse

Reduced intestinal motility, mucosal barrier function, and inflammation in aged monkeys

The relationship between phenolic compounds from diet and microbiota: impact on human health

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