Non-invasive continuous real-time in vivo analysis of microbial hydrogen production shows adaptation to fermentable carbohydrates in mice

Abstract

Real time in vivo methods are needed to better understand the interplay between diet and the gastrointestinal microbiota. Therefore, a rodent indirect calorimetry system was equipped with hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4) sensors. H2 production was readily detected in C57BL/6J mice and followed a circadian rhythm. H2 production was increased within 12 hours after first exposure to a lowly-digestible starch diet (LDD) compared to a highly-digestible starch diet (HDD). Marked differences were observed in the faecal microbiota of animals fed the LDD and HDD diets. H2 was identified as a key variable explaining the variation in microbial communities, with specific taxa (including Bacteroides and Parasutterella) correlating with H2 production upon LDD-feeding. CH4 production was undetectable which was in line with absence of CH4 producers in the gut. We conclude that real-time in vivo monitoring of gases provides a non-invasive time-resolved system to explore the interplay between nutrition and gut microbes in a mouse model, and demonstrates potential for translation to other animal models and human studies.

Investigating the Gut Microbiota Composition of Individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Association with Symptoms

“…The human fecal samples were collected at home by the participants and stored at 4 • C. Within 24 hours after collection, the samples were transported to the laboratory, aliquoted into 1.5 ml Eppendorf tubes, and stored at -80 • C. The bacterial DNA was extracted using a repeated bead-beating step and the Maxwell®16 Instrument (Promega, Leiden, The Netherlands), as described previously [21]. DNA purification was performed with a customized kit (AS1220; Promega, Leiden, The Netherlands).…”

Investigating the Gut Microbiota Composition of Individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Association with Symptoms

“…Sample collection, preparation and sequencing:The human fecal samples were collected at home by the participants and stored at 4 o C. Within 24 hours after collection, the samples were transported to the laboratory, aliquoted into 1.5 ml Eppendorf tubes and stored at -80 o C. The bacterial DNA was extracted using a repeated bead-beating step and theMaxwell® 16 Instrument (Promega, Leiden, The Netherlands), as described previously[21]. DNA purification was performed with a customized kit (AS1220; Promega).…”

Direct and Long-Term Metabolic Consequences of Lowly vs. Highly-Digestible Starch in the Early Post-Weaning Diet of Mice

“…All of the experimental diets were based on the BIOCLAIMS standard diet [ 25 ]. Both HDD and LDD contained 20 energy percentage (en%) protein, 55 en% carbohydrates, and 25 en% fat, with highly-digestible or lowly-digestible starches as the sole difference and source of available carbohydrate (Cargill, Sas van Gent, The Netherlands; incorporated into pelleted diets by Research Diet Services), as published [ 9 ]. The HFD contained 20 en% protein, 40 en% carbohydrates, and 40 en% fat [ 26 ].…”

“…Using highly defined diets, with only the type of starch being different, we have previously shown that a low versus high GI diet delayed obesity-associated disease development in adult mice [ 8 ]. Moreover, the low versus high GI diet induced intestinal microbiota hydrogen production in young and adult mice [ 9 ]. Thus, the digestibility of starches provides them with different nutritional properties for both the host and the intestinal microbiota through fermentation [ 10 ].…”