short-chain fatty acids
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPhysical Activity Shapes the Intestinal Microbiome and Immunity of Healthy Mice but Has No Protective Effects against Colitis in MUC2−/− MicePerturbation in the gut microbial ecosystem has been associated with various diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease. Habitual physical activity, through its ability to modulate the gut microbiome, has recently been shown to prophylactically protect against chemically induced models of murine colitis. Here, we (i) confirm previous reports that physical activity has limited but significant effects on the gut microbiome of mice and...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPivotal Roles for pH, Lactate, and Lactate-Utilizing Bacteria in the Stability of a Human Colonic Microbial EcosystemLactate is formed by many species of colonic bacteria, and can accumulate to high levels in the colons of inflammatory bowel disease subjects. Conversely, in healthy colons lactate is metabolized by lactate-utilizing species to the short-chain fatty acids butyrate and propionate, which are beneficial for the host. Here, we investigated the impact of continuous lactate infusions (up to 20 mM) at two pH values (6.5 and 5.5) on human...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPerinatal Bisphenol A Exposure Induces Chronic Inflammation in Rabbit Offspring via Modulation of Gut Bacteria and Their MetabolitesEmerging evidence suggests that environmental toxicants may influence inflammation-promoted chronic disease susceptibility during early life. BPA, an environmental endocrine disruptor, can transfer across the placenta and accumulate in fetal gut and liver. However, underlying mechanisms for BPA-induced colonic and liver inflammation are not fully elucidated. In this report, we show how perinatal BPA exposure in rabbits alters gut...
Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Microbiome-Mitochondrion Connection: Common Ancestries, Common Mechanisms, Common GoalsLynn Margulis in the 1960s elegantly proposed a shared phylogenetic history between bacteria and mitochondria; this relationship has since become a cornerstone of modern cellular biology. Yet, an interesting facet of the interaction between the microbiome and mitochondria has been mostly ignored, that of the systems biology relationship that underpins host health and longevity.