Lactobacillus fermentum promotes adipose tissue oxidative phosphorylation to protect against diet-induced obesity

Obesity: Microbial defenders of metabolic health The presence of particular bacterial species in the healthy gut microbiome can reduce the risk of obesity by modulating metabolic activity in host tissues. Several studies have suggested that intestinal microbes from the genus Lactobacillus can counteract weight gain and fat accumulation in humans and mice. Researchers in South Korea led by Sungsoon Fang at Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, and Hansoo Park at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology have now examined the physiological effects of one such species, Lactobacillus fermentum LM1016, in mice. The researchers showed that this bacterium could reduce the risk of diet-induced obesity and fat accumulation in the liver, and identified relevant shifts in the activity of key metabolic and inflammatory pathways. If these findings are confirmed in humans, this bacterial strain could serve as an effective probiotic

Bifidobacterium bifidum strains synergize with immune checkpoint inhibitors to reduce tumour burden in mice.

The gut microbiome can influence the development of tumours and the efficacy of cancer therapeutics1-5; however, the multi-omics characteristics of antitumour bacterial strains have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we integrated metagenomics, genomics and transcriptomics of bacteria, and analyses of mouse intestinal transcriptome and serum metabolome data to reveal an additional mechanism by which bacteria determine the efficacy of cancer therapeutics. In gut microbiome analyses of 96 samples from patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, Bifidobacterium bifidum was abundant in patients responsive to therapy. However, when we treated syngeneic mouse tumours with commercial strains of B. bifidum to establish relevance for potential therapeutic uses, only specific B. bifidum strains reduced tumour burden synergistically with PD-1 blockade or oxaliplatin treatment by eliciting an antitumour host immune response. In mice, these strains induced tuning of the immunological background by potentiating the production of interferon-γ, probably through the enhanced biosynthesis of immune-stimulating molecules and metabolites