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Gastrointestinal Microbes: Implications for Health and Disease

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2025) | Viewed by 1195

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Microbiology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
Interests: animal; gut-intestine; microbiota; metablism; apetite; gut hormone; nutrients; physics; reproduction; ovary; uterus; puberty; sexal behavior; fertility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The gut microbiota has gained a high degree of attention in recent decades in terms of its function, such as to degrade and absorb nutrients, as a gut barrier, and a molecular signal as a linkage between the inner gut and extraintestinal tissue, including the brain, liver, and reproductive organs (ovaries and testes), which leads to host health or disease.  Its metabolites and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are commonly known to be used for gut health and energy recycling by the regulation of the gut ecosystem, pH value, gut epithelium regeneration, and nutrients metabolism.  Both of them are developed as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics for practical use in both humans and animals.  Numerous relevant studies have been conducted;  however, the scientific ideas and methodologies are becoming homogeneous, and the results are not stable , even with the same microbial strain, and particularly, the underlying mechanisms have not been clarified yet.  On the other hand, because of a shortage of feedstuffs to substitute corn and soy bean meal worldwide, a large amount of agricultural byproducts, food industry byproducts, Chinese medicine residues, as well as food leftover from restaurants are being treated by those probiotics to improve their nutrients level and decrease antinutritional factors or toxins, while the roles, efficiency, cost, and technologies needed to incorporate them into conventional diets should be emphasized.  

In this Special Issue of IJMS, novel scientific strategies, experimental designs, and analytical technologies on the widely understood topic of gut microbiota are welcome to be submitted.

Prof. Dr. Suqin Hang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • animal
  • gut
  • microbiota
  • gut hormone
  • nutrients

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1883 KB  
Article
Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Lactobacillus paracasei IMPC2.1 Mitigate LPS-Induced Epithelial Barrier Dysfunction: A Focus on Autophagy Regulation
by Antonella Orlando, Fatima Maqoud, Domenica Mallardi, Simona Drago, Eleonora Malerba, Guglielmina Chimienti and Francesco Russo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(22), 11148; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262211148 - 18 Nov 2025
Abstract
The intestinal epithelial barrier is critical for maintaining gut homeostasis, yet its integrity can be compromised by inflammation and microbial dysbiosis. Here, we demonstrate that Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Lactobacillus paracasei IMPC2.1 (L. paracasei), show their effectiveness in enhancing epithelial [...] Read more.
The intestinal epithelial barrier is critical for maintaining gut homeostasis, yet its integrity can be compromised by inflammation and microbial dysbiosis. Here, we demonstrate that Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Lactobacillus paracasei IMPC2.1 (L. paracasei), show their effectiveness in enhancing epithelial barrier function and modulating autophagy, counteract the epithelial barrier dysfunction, induced by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), in Caco-2 cells by modulating tight junction (TJ) protein expression through regulation of inflammation and apoptosis. LPS exposure significantly reduced transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and increased paracellular permeability, effects that were partially reversed by both probiotic strains. Western blot analysis revealed that LPS downregulated ZO-1, Occludin, and p-mTOR, while upregulating autophagy markers LC3-II and Beclin1, without affecting p62 levels. The latter finding indicated an impairment of autophagy flux, confirmed by immunofluorescence experiments. Co-treatment with LGG or L. paracasei restored TJ protein expression and alleviated the LPS-induced impairment of autophagic flux. Both probiotics suppressed LPS-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) and Bax upregulation, suggesting anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects. In the complex interplay between inflammation, autophagy, and apoptosis, these findings highlight a key regulatory mechanism in probiotic-mediated epithelial protection, underscoring the therapeutic potential of LGG and L. paracasei in mitigating gut barrier dysfunction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gastrointestinal Microbes: Implications for Health and Disease)
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19 pages, 2817 KB  
Article
Lactobacillus helveticus HY7804 Modulates the Gut–Liver Axis to Improve Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in a Mouse Model
by Hyeonji Kim, Hye-Jin Jeon, Ji-Woong Jeong, Kippeum Lee, Hyeonjun Gwon, Daehyeop Lee, Joo-Yun Kim, Jae-Jung Shim and Jae-Hwan Lee
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(8), 3557; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26083557 - 10 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common type of liver disease worldwide. In a previous study, we confirmed that Lactobacillus helveticus HY7804 (HY7804) improves MASLD by suppressing the expression of mRNAs encoding genes related to hepatic lipogenesis, inflammation, and fibrosis [...] Read more.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common type of liver disease worldwide. In a previous study, we confirmed that Lactobacillus helveticus HY7804 (HY7804) improves MASLD by suppressing the expression of mRNAs encoding genes related to hepatic lipogenesis, inflammation, and fibrosis in model mice. Here, we evaluated the ability of HY7804 to restore intestinal barrier function and modulate the gut microbiota, as well as improve MASLD symptoms. Mice fed an MASLD-inducing diet for 7 weeks received HY7804 (109 CFU/kg/day), the Type strain, or positive control (Pioglitazone) during the same period. HY7804 alleviated physiological (p < 0.001) and blood biochemical indicators and reduced MASLD activity scores (p < 0.05) on histological analysis. In addition, HY7804 increased the expression of genes related to fatty acid oxidation (p < 0.001); decreased the expression of apoptosis-related genes (p < 0.001); rescued the expression of tight junction (TJ)-related genes (p < 0.05); and suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling (p < 0.01) in the intestine. Finally, HY7804 modulated the composition of the gut microbiota in MASLD-induced mice. HY7804 increased the abundance of MASLD-suppressive Bacteroidaceae and Bacteroides, which positively correlated with the expression of TJ- and fatty acid oxidation-related genes. By contrast, HY7804 decreased the abundance of bacteria related to the progression of MASLD, including Cloastridaceae, Clostridium, Streptococcaceae, Lactococcus, and Lachnospiraceae, which correlated with intestinal immune responses and MASLD symptoms. In conclusion, L. helveticus HY7804 may be suitable as a functional supplement that alleviates MASLD symptoms and improves intestinal health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gastrointestinal Microbes: Implications for Health and Disease)
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