applying-advanced-vitro-culturing-technology-to-study-human-gut

Applying Advanced In Vitro Culturing Technology to Study the Human Gut Microbiota

The human gut microbiota plays a vital role in both human health and disease. Studying the gut microbiota using an in vivo model, is difficult due to its ...

Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture

Cellulose acetate (CA) fibrous mats with improved mechanical and antioxidant properties were produced by a simple, scalable and cost-effective electrospinning method. Fibers loaded with small amounts of TA-Fe complexes showed an increase in tensile strength of ∼117% when compared to that of neat CA and were more resistant than those loaded with TA alone. The water uptake of the fibers increased upon TA or TA-Fe incorporation while their thermal behavior was only slightly affected. Fibrous mats loaded with TA-Fe showed comparable antioxidant activity with that of CA/TA mats, and a much slower TA release. These results suggest that TA-Fe complexes can be incorporated into electrospun CA fibers to improve their mechanical properties and antioxidant activity which may be of interest for the development of active packaging that can extend the shelf life of perishable foods.

Electrospun ultra-fine cellulose acetate fibrous mats containing tannic acid-Fe complexes.

Apigenin is a major dietary flavonoid with many bioactivities, widely distributed in plants. Apigenin reaches the colon region intact and interacts there with the human gut microbiota, however there is little research on how apigenin affects the gut bacteria. This study investigated the effect of pure apigenin on human gut bacteria, at both the single strain and community levels. The effect of apigenin on the single gut bacteria strains , ,  GG, and , was examined by measuring their anaerobic growth profiles. The effect of apigenin on a gut microbiota community was studied by culturing a fecal inoculum under in vitro conditions simulating the human ascending colon. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and GC-MS analysis quantified changes in the community structure. Single molecule RNA sequencing was used to reveal the response of  to apigenin.  was effectively inhibited by apigenin when cultured alone, however, the genus  was enhanced when tested in a community setting. Single molecule RNA sequencing found that  responded to apigenin by up-regulating genes involved in DNA repair, stress response, cell wall synthesis, and protein folding. Taken together, these results demonstrate that apigenin affects both the growth and gene expression of .

Apigenin Impacts the Growth of the Gut Microbiota and Alters the Gene Expression of Enterococcus.

We report the successful preparation of reinforced electrospun nanofibers and fibrous mats of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) via a simple and inexpensive method using stable tannic acid (TA) and ferric ion (Fe) assemblies formed by solution mixing and pH adjustment. Changes in solution pH change the number of TA galloyl groups attached to the Fe from one (pH < 2) to two (3 < pH < 6) to three (pH < 7.4) and affect the interactions between PVA and TA. At pH ~ 5.5, the morphology and fiber diameter size (FDS) examined by SEM are determinant for the mechanical properties of the fibrous mats and depend on the PVA content. At an optimal 8 wt % concentration, PVA becomes fully entangled and forms uniform nanofibers with smaller FDS ( < 0.05) and improved mechanical properties when compared to mats of PVA alone and of PVA with TA ( < 0.05). Changes in solution pH lead to beads formation, more irregular FDS and poorer mechanical properties ( < 0.05). The Fe inclusion does not alter the oxidation activity of TA ( > 0.05) suggesting the potential of TA-Fe assemblies to reinforce polymer nanofibers with high functionality for use in diverse applications including food, biomedical and pharmaceutical.

Article	Year
Electrospun ultra-fine cellulose acetate fibrous mats containing tannic acid-Fe complexes. Carbohydrate polymers\| PubMed ID: 27987820	2017
Apigenin Impacts the Growth of the Gut Microbiota and Alters the Gene Expression of Enterococcus. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)\| PubMed ID: 28771188	2017
Electrospun Polymer Nanofibers Reinforced by Tannic Acid/Fe Complexes. Materials (Basel, Switzerland)\| PubMed ID: 28773876	2016

LinShu Liu

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