Effects of Music and White Noise Exposure on the Gut Microbiota, Oxidative Stress, and Immune-Related Gene Expression of Mice

Abstract

The microbiota in gastrointestinal tracts is recognized to play a pivotal role in the health of their hosts. Music and noise are prevalent environmental factors in human society and animal production and are reported to impact their welfare and physiological conditions; however, the information on the relationship between the microbiota, physiological status, and sound is limited. This study investigated the impact of music and white noise exposure in mice through 16s rRNA gene sequencing, enzyme assay, and qPCR. The results demonstrate that white noise induced oxidative stress in animals by decreasing serum SOD and GSH-PX activity while increasing LDH activity and MDA levels (p < 0.05). Conversely, no oxidative stress was observed in the music treatment group. The relative gene expression of IFN-γ and IL-1β decreased in the white noise group compared to the music and control groups. The 16s rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed that Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia, and Proteobacteria were dominant among all the groups. Furthermore, the proportion of Firmicutes increased in the music treatment group but decreased in the white noise treatment group compared to the control group. In conclusion, white noise has detrimental impacts on the gut microbiota, antioxidant activity, and immunity of mice, while music is potentially beneficial.

Examining Sound, Light, and Vibrations as Tools to Manage Microbes and Support Holobionts, Ecosystems, and Technologies

“…Table 1 illustrates examples of both review articles and research studies on auditory sound affecting microbial populations [15,16,56,57,[60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72].…”

Examining Sound, Light, and Vibrations as Tools to Manage Microbes and Support Holobionts, Ecosystems, and Technologies

“…Table 1 illustrates examples of both review articles and research studies on auditory sound affecting microbial populations [15,16,57,58,[61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73]. Wine Grapes, Vitis vinifera L. (cultivar "Syrah"), were planted with one group exposed to classical music 24/7 for the entire growing season while the control was out of range of the music.…”

“…[63] For this in vitro study, within an experimental apparatus, both the sound frequency and intensity level were adjusted by a waveform generator and the amplifying circuit in the sound-wave generating unit. Sound Experimental study comparing the effects of music vs. white noise on mice [64] Six-week old male SPF C57BL/6J mice received a one week adaptation period with three groups used over a 5-week acoustic trial.…”