Metabolomics approaches for characterizing metabolic interactions between host and its commensal microbes

Abstract

It is increasingly evident that the gut microbiota is involved in the regulation of multiple mammalian metabolic pathways through a series of interactive host-microbiota metabolic, signaling, and immune-inflammatory axes that physiologically connect the gut, liver, brain, and other organs. Correlation of the metabotypes with the gut microbial profiles derived from culture-independent molecular techniques is increasingly useful for deciphering inherent and intimate host-microbe relationships. Real-time analysis of the small molecule metabolites derived from gut microbial-host co-metabolism is essential for understanding the metabolic functions of the gut microbiome and has tremendous implications for personalized healthcare strategies. Metabolomics, an array of analytical techniques that includes high resolution NMR spectroscopy and chromatography-MS in conjunction with chemometrics and bioinformatics tools, enables characterization of the metabolic footprints of mammalian hosts that correlate with the microbial community in the intestinal tract. The metabolomics approach provides important information of a complete spectrum of metabolites produced from the gut microbial-mammalian co-metabolism and is improving our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying multilevel host-microbe interactions. In this review, the interactions of gut microbiota with their host are discussed and some examples of NMR- or MS-based metabolomics applications for characterizing the metabolic footprints of gut microbial-host co-metabolism are described. Advances in the metabolomic analysis of bile acids, short-chain fatty acids, and choline metabolism are also summarized.

Alzheimer's disease and the microbiome

“…Recent studies suggest that activation of endogenous HSV-1 or other neurotrophic microorganisms, including host-embedded prions, are intimately linked to neurological stressors linked to amyloidogensis, inflammatory neurodegeneration and progressive cognitive impairment, and may be a contributor to the early development of, or predisposition to, schizophrenia and AD (Hill et al, 2009; Prasad et al, 2012; Ball et al, 2013; Manuelidis, 2013). Indeed, correlation of metabolic and neurological phenotypes with the GI tract HM and other specific endogenous bacterial or viral profiles derived from independent molecular analytical technologies should be increasingly useful for deciphering complex host-microbiome relationships in healthy human brain aging and in neuropsychiatric disease (Xie et al, 2013). …”

Cancer-Promoting Effects of Microbial Dysbiosis

“…These differences may be a consequence of Rural Africans having higher resistant starch intake and African Americans having higher meat and fat intakes [83]. Dietary choices can affect cancer risk [80, 81, 84] and changing diet to potentially reduce risk is the exciting topic of much current study [85, 86]. Diet represents just one example of how to apply our growing knowledge of gut microbiome dynamics toward health promotion and disease prevention.…”

“…Recent techniques combine analyses of changing metabolites and microorganisms in an effort to understand interactions between gut microbiota, metabolism and the host [10, 80, 81]. Further research in this area will deepen the mechanistic understanding of microbial metabolism in the cancer disease process.…”

Dietary Polyphenols against Metabolic Disorders: How Far Have We Progressed in the Understanding of the Molecular Mechanisms of Action of These Compounds?

“…These organs constitute a complex network orchestrated by multiple signaling molecules and metabolites, hormones and neural activity (Yamada et al, 2008;Ito and Adachi-Akahane, 2013;Xie et al, 2013). MetS is a very complex disorder that may be characterized by: i) deregulation in the hypothalamus of the appetite-satiety control processes through altered levels of neurotrophins such as the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which promotes changes in the food intake and absorption of nutrients (calories) (Chaldakov, 2011;Rios, 2013), ii) these over 3 years.…”