The Metagenomic and Metabolomic Profile of the Infantile Gut: Can They Be “Predicted” by the Feed Type?

Purpose: The composition and the metabolic activity of the gut microbiota of breastfed and formula-fed infants has been the focus of several studies over the last two decades. Gene sequencing techniques and metabolomics in biological samples have led to expansion of our knowledge in this field. A more thorough comprehension of the metabolic role of the intestinal microbiota could assist and expedite the development of optimal feeding strategies. The aim of this systematic review is to present available data regarding the effect of the feed type on the infantile intestinal microbiota (microbial composition and metabolites) by DNA-sequencing and metabolome analysis of neonatal stool. Methods: A systematic search of the literature in PubMed was attempted to establish relevant studies. Randomized controlled trials studying the diversity and composition of gut microbiota and metabolites of infants that received different types of feed were included. The study subjects were infants/neonates born at term or preterm receiving either breast, donor, or formula milk. Formula could be either classic or fortified with probiotics, prebiotics, or both. The included trials compared the differences on metagenomics and metabolomics of infantile stool, aiming at investigating the beneficial effects of fortification of formula with synbiotics. Results: Out of 1452 papers identified by the initial search, seven were selected for inclusion, following screening for eligibility. Eligibility was determined by closer examination for relevance of the title, abstract, and subsequent full text. The results of these studies mostly support that the feed type modulates the microbiome composition. In terms of the alpha-diversity, no significant difference exists between the feeding groups, whereas significant differences were noted with regards to beta-diversity in breastfed and formula-fed infants. As for the microbial composition, the studies revealed different populations in the formula-fed group compared to the breastfed group at the phylum and genus level. Bifidobacteria supplementation of infant formula did not seem to change the proportions of Bifidobacterial sequences during the first year of life. Another finding according to the studies is that the pH of fecal samples in breastfed as well as prebiotic-supplemented formula-fed infants. was significantly lower than that of formula-fed infants. Infant milk formula with a mixture of prebiotics (GOS/FOS oligosaccharides) was shown to be capable of selectively stimulating the growth of Bifidobacteria with analogous changes in fecal pH and short-chain fatty acid content in fully formula-fed infants. Conclusions: Overall, there is evidence to support that feed type modulates the infants’ microbiome constitution. The impact of feeding on term and preterm microbiota could have potential benefits on intestinal functionality, immune system, and metabolism, and probably pursuing the host for life. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Investigating the metabolic fingerprint of term infants with normal and increased fetal growth

An NMR metabolomic approach was employed to highlight the metabolic changes underlying prenatal disorders and determine metabolites that could serve as potential markers in relation to large for gestational age (LGA) newborns. In this holistic study, multivariate data analysis elicited information from the NMR spectra and probed to metabolic signatures of macrosomic fetuses. Moreover, metabolic trends that characterize LGA from mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (LGA-GDM), as well as LGA from mothers not diagnosed with GDM (LGA-NGDM) were framed. Results obtained from maternal and umbilical cord (UC) samples indicated that LGA fetuses present alterations especially in the aminoacid metabolism as compared to Appropriate for Gestational Age (AGA) cases. Clear discrimination of LGA-NGDM from LGA-GDM was achieved both in maternal and in UC samples' blood. The role of glutamine and alanine together with four essential (valine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine) aminoacids, as well as the role of glycerol and glucose is emphasized for the case of maternal LGA samples' differentiation. Glycine and histidine only contributed to the differentiation of UC samples, the former characterized the AGA cases, while the latter was ascribed to both LGA-GDM and LGA-NGDM cases. Interestingly, both UC and maternal LGA-GDM samples were characterized by increased levels of N-acetylglutamic and acetoacetic acids. The OPLS-DA models were validated with permutation testing and ROC curves. In conclusion, this study indicates that NMR metabolomics may enable the detection of metabolic changes associated with LGA prenatal disorders. © 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Antioxidant profiles of Vitis vinifera L. And Salvia triloba L. leaves using high-energy extraction methodologies

The profiles of Vitis vinifera L. and Salvia triloba L. leaf extracts have been studied via photometric assays on the basis of their total phenolic and flavonoid content as well as of their radical scavenging and antioxidant activities. Ultrasound-assisted (UAE) and pressurized liquid extractions (PLE) were implemented for producing polar fractions from the plants, using different methanol-water and glycerol-water mixtures for UAE and PLE, respectively. Aqueous methanol was proved an effective solvent for the UAE of total phenolics and flavonoids as well as for increased radical scavenging and antioxidant activities. As for PLE, plain water was proved a more efficient solvent than hydroglycerolic mixtures. Overall, irrespective of the solvent(s) used, UAE extracts showed higher values compared with the PLE extracts for all the photometric determinations and for both plant species. Moreover, Salvia UAE and PLE extracts presented higher total phenolic and flavonoid contents, accompanied by higher radical scavenging and antioxidant activities, compared with Vitis extracts. The correlations among photometric results were also studied, indicating the categories of compounds that relate to the antioxidant and/or radical scavenging activities of the extracts. Mixtures of the examined extracts could be exploited as the basis of novel phytotherapeutic products in the cosmetic sector. © 1994 International Union of Crystallography. All rights reserved