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The Regulation of Gut Microbiota by Probiotics and Dietary Nutrients...
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The Regulation of Gut Microbiota by Probiotics and Dietary Nutrients in Foods to Improve Human Health

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 August 2025 | Viewed by 340

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tao Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China
Interests: food nutrition and function; natural products for chronic diseases prevention; development of new food resources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Qian Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Bioengineering, Tianjin Agricultural College, Tianjin, China
Interests: food nutrition and chemistry; natural ingredients and gut microbiota; development of new food resources

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As research on gut microbiota continues to progress and penetrate deeper, it has been discovered that the gut flora represents an intricate and sophisticated ecosystem, with its composition and functions being subject to the influence of a multitude of factors. Among them, diet stands out as one of the principal determinants in molding the gut microbial community. Notably, probiotics and diverse dietary nutrients are capable of engaging in direct interactions with gut microorganisms. Comprehending the mechanisms by which probiotics and dietary nutrients modulate the gut microbiota and subsequently enhance human health holds substantial potential value in various realms, such as the innovation and advancement of functional foods, as well as the prevention and treatment of diseases. This, in turn, contributes to the refinement and optimization of dietary guidelines, facilitating the creation of more efficacious probiotic supplements and nutrient-enriched foods, thereby catering to the specific health requirements of diverse population segments.

Therefore, this Special Issue aims to present a collection of studies focused on the current advances in the ‘Regulation of Gut Microbiota by Probiotics and Dietary Nutrients in Foods To Improve Human Health’. We kindly invite you to submit original review/research articles with novel ideas/concepts related to this topic. Research addressing the composition and function of gut microbiota, in vitro and in vivo investigations, and efficacy evaluations in intervention studies are particularly welcomed.

Dr. Tao Wu
Dr. Qian Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • probiotics
  • dietary nutrients
  • gut microbiota
  • dietary fiber
  • polyphenols
  • fatty acids
  • inflammation
  • constipation
  • intestinal dysfunction
  • immunity
  • metabolic health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 3710 KiB  
Article
Lactobacillus rhamnosus LRa05 Alleviates Constipation via Triaxial Modulation of Gut Motility, Microbiota Dynamics, and SCFA Metabolism
by Jingxin Zhang, Qian Li, Shanshan Liu, Ning Wang, Yu Song, Tao Wu and Min Zhang
Foods 2025, 14(13), 2293; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14132293 (registering DOI) - 28 Jun 2025
Abstract
Constipation, a widespread gastrointestinal disorder, imposes significant burdens on healthcare systems the and global health-related quality of life, yet current options remain suboptimal due to limited mechanistic understanding and efficacy limitations. Given the pivotal significance of the interactions between the gut microbiota and [...] Read more.
Constipation, a widespread gastrointestinal disorder, imposes significant burdens on healthcare systems the and global health-related quality of life, yet current options remain suboptimal due to limited mechanistic understanding and efficacy limitations. Given the pivotal significance of the interactions between the gut microbiota and the host on governing bowel movement, we employed a multi-modal approach integrating animal experiments, ELISA, histopathology, qRT-PCR, GC-MS, and 16S rRNA metagenomics to evaluate the functional potential of Lactobacillus rhamnosus LRa05 against loperamide-induced constipation in mice. LRa05 treatment markedly alleviated constipation symptoms, as evidenced by reduced first black stool expulsion time, increased fecal moisture, and enhanced intestinal motility. Mechanistic investigations revealed that LRa05 balanced gastrointestinal regulatory peptides. It also downregulated aquaporin (AQP4/AQP8) mRNA levels and activated the SCF/C-Kit signaling pathway. These effects contributed to the restoration of intestinal peristalsis. Furthermore, LRa05 rebalanced gut microbiota composition by enriching beneficial, including Alloprevotella and Lachnospiraceae NK4A136, key SCFA producers. Thus, LRa05 could boost short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, which is vital for stimulating intestinal motility, improving mucosal function, and relieving constipation. These findings demonstrated that LRa05 could mitigate constipation through a multi-target mechanism: regulating motility-related gene transcription, restructuring the microbial community, balancing gastrointestinal peptides, repairing the colonic mucosa, and promoting SCFAs for fecal hydration. Our study positions LRa05 as a promising probiotic candidate for constipation management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Regulation of Gut Microbiota by Probiotics and Dietary Nutrients in Foods to Improve Human Health)
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18 pages, 4744 KiB  
Article
Millet Quinic Acid Relieves Colitis by Regulating Gut Microbiota and Inhibiting MyD88/NF-κB Signaling Pathway
by Sen Li, Ze Zhang, Lei Luo, Yu Zhang, Kai Huang and Xiao Guan
Foods 2025, 14(13), 2267; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14132267 - 26 Jun 2025
Viewed by 62
Abstract
Polyphenols are compounds derived from plant-based food possessing numerous biological activities, including inhibiting oxidative stress, suppressing inflammation, and regulating gut microbiota. In this study, we investigated the effects of quinic acid, a phenolic acid from millet, on the regulation of gut microbiota and [...] Read more.
Polyphenols are compounds derived from plant-based food possessing numerous biological activities, including inhibiting oxidative stress, suppressing inflammation, and regulating gut microbiota. In this study, we investigated the effects of quinic acid, a phenolic acid from millet, on the regulation of gut microbiota and intestinal inflammation and further discussed the possible mechanism. The results showed that quinic acid could improve the microbiota composition of the feces of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by in vitro anaerobic fermentation by increasing the abundance of beneficial genera including Bifidobacterium, Weissella, etc., and decreasing that of harmful genera like Escherichia-Shigella. Quinic acid treatment could alleviate the symptoms of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice, maintain the intestinal barrier, down-regulate the expression of inflammatory factors such as IL-1β and TNF-α, and inhibit the activation of the MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. In addition, quinic acid also improved the diversity of gut microbiota in mice with colitis. Furthermore, pseudo-germ-free colitis mice proved that the effect of quinic acid on intestinal inflammation was diminished after removing most gut microbiota by antibiotic treatment, suggesting that gut microbiota play important roles during the regulation of colitis by quinic acid. In a word, our study verified the regulatory effects of quinic acid on intestinal inflammation, depending on gut microbiota regulation and NF-κB signaling suppression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Regulation of Gut Microbiota by Probiotics and Dietary Nutrients in Foods to Improve Human Health)
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