Dietary Polysaccharides as Modulators of the Gut Microbiota Ecosystem: An Update on Their Impact on Health

A polysaccharide is a macromolecule composed of more than ten monosaccharides with a wide distribution and high structural diversity and complexity in nature. Certain polysaccharides are immunomodulators and play key roles in the regulation of immune responses during the progression of some diseases. In addition to stimulating the growth of certain intestinal bacteria, polysaccharides may also promote health benefits by modulating the gut microbiota. In the last years, studies about the triad gut microbiota–polysaccharides–health have increased exponentially. In consequence, in the present review, we aim to summarize recent knowledge about the function of dietary polysaccharides on gut microbiota composition and how these effects affect host health.Regional Ministry of Health and Families (Andalucia, Spain)CSyF 2021-Postdoctoral RPS 24665"Fundacion Ramon Areces", Madrid, Spai

The Interplay between Microbiota and Chemotherapy-Derived Metabolites in Breast Cancer

UGR Plan Propio de Investigación 2016” and the “Excellence Actions: Unit of Excellence in Exercise and Health (UCEES), University of Granada”Postdoctoral contract (RPS 24665, 2021) from Consejería de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucía, Spain)

Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem

The intestinal microbiota is a community of microorganisms that subsists within the gastrointestinal ecosystem. In human health, the role of the gastrointestinal microbiota is to maintain a dynamic balance with the host. This balance plays both local and remote roles in critical physiological processes, particularly inflammation, and the immune response [1]. Natural polysaccharides are polymeric carbohydrate macromolecules and sources of fermentable dietary fiber. Polysaccharides are the most abundant dietary components in the gut microbiota and are deeply involved in host health [2]. Emerging evidence shows the involvement of polysaccharides in numerous functions in gut microbiota-host symbiosis, such as microbial interactions with endogenous host glycans, and the key role of microbial polysaccharides [3]. Additionally, bacterial polysaccharides act as immunomodulators, and host-derived polysaccharides protect host cells from pathogenic microbial neighbors and affect overall gut health through interactions with gut microbes. The growth of certain beneficial intestinal bacteria can be promoted by polysaccharides (among other things) during intestinal fermentation, changing the microbiota profile of the gut and altering both local and remote host physiology, which can reduce disease development [3,4]

Editorial: Molecular and cellular aspects of regulatory and subjacent mechanisms in host/ microbiota association and its involvement in cancer

Editorial on the Research Topic: Molecular and cellular aspects of regulatory and subjacent mechanisms in host/microbiota association and its involvement in cancerRegional Ministry of Health and Families (Andalucia, Spain). CSyF 2021-Postdoctoral RPS 24665"Fundacion Ramon Areces," Madrid, Spai

Fiber Consumption Mediates Differences in Several Gut Microbes in a Subpopulation of Young Mexican Adults

A.R.-L. was granted a fellowship from the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT). Grant No. 365902 and Registration No. 297325.Diet is a determinant for bodyweight and gut microbiota composition. Changes in dietary patterns are useful for the prevention and management of overweight and obesity. We aim to evaluate diet behavior and its potential association with selected gut bacteria and body weight among Mexican young adults. Mexican college students aged between 18 and 25 (normal-weight, overweight, and obese) were recruited. Anthropometric variables were recorded. A validated food frequency questionnaire was applied to all the participants. The percentages of macronutrients, fiber, and energy were calculated, and fecal samples were analyzed by real-time-qPCR to quantify selected gut bacteria. All the participants showed an unbalanced dietary pattern. However, the consumption of fruits, non-fat cereals, and oils and fats without protein were higher in the normal-weight individuals. In the overweight/obese participants, fiber intake did not correlate with the microbial variables, while Kcal from protein and Clostridium leptum correlated positively with Lactobacillus. Similarly, Clostridium coccoides-Eubacterium rectale correlated with Akkermansia muciniphila. In the normal-weight participants, Clostridium leptum and Lactobacillus correlated positively with Clostridium coccoides- Eubacterium rectale and Bifidobacterium, respectively, and Bacteroidetes negatively with Akkermansia muciniphila. In conclusion, a higher fiber intake had a positive impact on body weight and bacterial gut composition in this Mexican population of college students.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) 365902 29732

Nutrition and cellular senescence in obesity-related disorders

Julio Plaza-Diaz is part of the “UGR Plan Propio de Investigación 2016 and the “Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), University of Granada”. Julio Plaza-Diaz is sup- ported by a grant awarded to postdoctoral researchers at foreign universities and research centers from the “Fundación Ramón Are- ces”, Madrid, Spain. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA.Adequate nutrition is vital for immune homeostasis. However, the incidence of obesity is increasing worldwide due to the adoption of the Western diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation which alters the function of adipose tissue, liver, pancreas, and the nervous system. Inflammation is related to cellular senescence, distinguished by irreversible cell cycle arrest. Senescent cells secrete the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) which contains pro-inflammatory factors. Targeting processes in senescence might have a salutary approach to obesity. The present review highlights the impact of an unhealthy diet on tissues affected by obesity, and the mechanisms that promote the consequent inflammation and senescence.UGR Plan Propio de Investigación 2016Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), University of Granada“Fundación Ramón Are- ces”, Madrid, Spain.Universidad de Granada / CBU

Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis CECT 7210 Reduces Inflammatory Cytokine Secretion in Caco-2 Cells Cultured in the Presence of Escherichia coli CECT 515

Previous works have described the activity of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis CECT 7210 (also commercially named B. infantis IM-1®) against rotavirus in mice and intestinal pathogens in piglets, as well as its diarrhea-reducing effect on healthy term infants. In the present work, we focused on the intestinal immunomodulatory effects of B. infantis IM-1® and for this purpose we used the epithelial cell line isolated from colorectal adenocarcinoma Caco-2 and a co-culture system of human dendritic cells (DCs) from peripheral blood together with Caco-2 cells. Single Caco-2 cultures and Caco-2: DC co-cultures were incubated with B. infantis IM-1® or its supernatant either in the presence or absence of Escherichia coli CECT 515. The B. infantis IM-1® supernatant exerted a protective effect against the cytotoxicity caused by Escherichia coli CECT 515 on single cultures of Caco-2 cells as viability reached the values of untreated cells. B. infantis IM-1® and its supernatant also decreased the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines by Caco-2 cells and the co-cultures incubated in the presence of E. coli CECT 515, with the response being more modest in the latter, which suggests that DCs modulate the activity of Caco-2 cells. Overall, the results obtained point to the immunomodulatory activity of this probiotic strain, which might underlie its previously reported beneficial effects.Laboratorios Ordesa, S. L.Center for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (TOLERA project) 2017087

Current Knowledge about the Effect of Nutritional Status, Supplemented Nutrition Diet, and Gut Microbiota on Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion and Regeneration in Liver Surgery

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is an unresolved problem in liver resection and transplantation. The preexisting nutritional status related to the gut microbial profile might contribute to primary non-function after surgery. Clinical studies evaluating artificial nutrition in liver resection are limited. The optimal nutritional regimen to support regeneration has not yet been exactly defined. However, overnutrition and specific diet factors are crucial for the nonalcoholic or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis liver diseases. Gut-derived microbial products and the activation of innate immunity system and inflammatory response, leading to exacerbation of I/R injury or impaired regeneration after resection. This review summarizes the role of starvation, supplemented nutrition diet, nutritional status, and alterations in microbiota on hepatic I/R and regeneration. We discuss the most updated effects of nutritional interventions, their ability to alter microbiota, some of the controversies, and the suitability of these interventions as potential therapeutic strategies in hepatic resection and transplantation, overall highlighting the relevance of considering the extended criteria liver grafts in the translational liver surgery.This research was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (RTI2018-095114-B-I00) Madrid, Spain; European Union (Fondos Feder, “una manera de hacer Europa”); CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya and Secretaria d’Universitats I Recerca del Departament d’Economia I Coneixement (2017 SGR-551) Barcelona, Spain

From Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease to Liver Cancer: Microbiota and Inflammation as Key Players

It is estimated that 25% of the world’s population has non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This disease can advance to a more severe form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a disease with a greater probability of progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). NASH could be characterized as a necro-inflammatory complication of chronic hepatic steatosis. The combination of factors that lead to NASH and its progression to HCC in the setting of inflammation is not clearly understood. The portal vein is the main route of communication between the intestine and the liver. This allows the transfer of products derived from the intestine to the liver and the hepatic response pathway of bile and antibody secretion to the intestine. The intestinal microbiota performs a fundamental role in the regulation of immune function, but it can undergo changes that alter its functionality. These changes can also contribute to cancer by disrupting the immune system and causing chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction, both of which are implicated in cancer development. In this article, we address the link between inflammation, microbiota and HCC.We also review the different in vitro models, as well as recent clinical trials addressing liver cancer and microbiota

The Mediation Effect of Self–Report Physical Activity Patterns in the Relationship between Educational Level and Cognitive Impairment in Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Chilean Health National Survey 2016–2017

The aims of this cross-sectional study were (i) to determine the association of educational level attained with cognitive impairment and (ii) to investigate the mediating effect of different self-report physical activity (PA) patterns in a large sample of older Chileans. A sample of 1571 older adults from the National Chilean Survey (2016–2017) was included. The educational level attained, PA levels, mode of commuting, sedentary time, and leisure-time PA were self-reported through validated questionnaires. Cognitive impairment was determined by Mini-Mental State Examination (modified version). Association between educational level attained and cognitive impairment was examined using logistic regression models. Counterfactual mediation models were used to test the mediating effect of self-reported PA patterns. A lower educational level was consistently associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment (OR range 2.846 to 2.266, all p < 0.001), while leisure-time PA was the only PA pattern that partially mediated this association (proportion mediated 8.0%). In conclusion, leisure-time PA was the solely PA pattern that partially mediated the association between the educational level and cognitive impairment. The rest self-reported PA patterns did not modify this association.P.S.-U. was supported by a grant from ANID/BECAS Chile/72180543. J.P.-D. is part of the University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigación 2016, Excellence actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES). We thank the Research Results Transfer Office (OTRI) of the University of Granada for its publication support (C-4393 to F.A.-M.). We thank all participants for their cooperation and the Chilean Health Ministry and Department of Public Health, The Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile for designing and conducting the third National Health Survey 2016–2017