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Bioactive Molecules and Prebiotics for Gut Health and Beyond

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 May 2023) | Viewed by 8746

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Wolfram Manuel Brück

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Guest Editor

Institute for Life Technologies, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland Valais-Wallis, 1950 Sion, Switzerland
Interests: intestinal disease; bioactive molecules; gut health; homeostasis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The human intestinal microbiome has an insurmountable effect on our health status by influencing a wide range of diseases from cancer, obesity, and allergies to neurological disorders. The food and pharmaceutics industry have been assiduous in providing foods and supplements to improve or maintain our health and establish a gut microbiota that is regarded as beneficial. However, products currently in the market scarcely moved beyond the probiotics and prebiotics established long ago. Probiotics generally do not colonize the human body and thus offer a transient benefit due to their metabolic activity. Ingested bioactive molecules and substances such as prebiotics, postbiotics, and other bioactive compounds may benefit our health status in more profound and complex ways. To understand this intricate network of interactions between microbiota and the host requires a trans-disciplinary approach.

This research topic invites articles on novel bioactive that induce changes in the cecal microbiota while having antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties, maintain intestinal homeostasis or target metabolic responses in the host.

Prof. Dr. Wolfram Manuel Brück
Guest Editor

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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

prebiotics
postbiotics
bioactive molecules
gut health
homeostasis

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 1016 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Effects of Probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii Supernatant on Viability, Nano-Mechanical Properties of Cytoplasmic Membrane and Pro-Inflammatory Gene Expression in Human Gastric Cancer AGS Cells

by Babak Pakbin, Samaneh Allahyari, Shaghayegh Pishkhan Dibazar, Leila Zolghadr, Neda Karami Chermahini, Wolfram Manuel Brück, Thomas B. Brück and Razzagh Mahmoudi

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 7945; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24097945 - 27 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1771

Abstract

Background: Gastric cancer has been recognized as the second most probable cause of death in humans from cancer diseases around the world. Postbiotics, supernatant, and metabolites from probiotic microorganisms have recently been used widely to prevent and treat cancer diseases in humans, without any undesirable side effects. This study explores the antiproliferative and antitumor activities of the probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii supernatant (SBS) against AGS cancer cells, a human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line. Methods: We evaluated cell growth inhibitory and mechanical properties of the cytoplasmic membrane and the downregulation of survivin and proinflammatory genes in AGS cells treated with SBS after 24 and 48 h. Results: SBS significantly inhibits the AGS cell growth, and the concentrations with IC₅₀ values after 24 and 48 h treatments are measured as 2266 and 1956 µg/mL, respectively. Regarding the AFM images and Young`s modulus analysis, SBS significantly induces morphological changes in the cytoplasmic membrane of the treated AGS cells. Expression of survivin, NFƙB, and IL-8 genes is significantly suppressed in AGS cells treated with SBS. Conclusions: Considering the antitumor activities of SBS on AGS cell line, it can be regarded as a prospective therapeutic and preventive strategy against human stomach cancer disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Molecules and Prebiotics for Gut Health and Beyond)

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19 pages, 1653 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Modulation of the Human Gut Microbiota and Metabolome with Flaxseed Preparations

by Karin Kleigrewe, Martina Haack, Martine Baudin, Thomas Ménabréaz, Julien Crovadore, Mahmoud Masri, Michael Beyrer, Wilfried Andlauer, François Lefort, Corinna Dawid, Thomas B. Brück and Wolfram M. Brück

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(18), 10473; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231810473 - 09 Sep 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2311

Abstract

Flaxseeds are typically consumed either as whole flaxseed, ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, partially defatted flaxseed meal, or as a milk alternative. They are considered a rich source of vitamins, minerals, proteins and peptides, lipids, carbohydrates, lignans, and dietary fiber, which have shown hypolipidemic, antiatherogenic, anticholesterolemic, and anti-inflammatory property activity. Here, an in vitro batch culture model was used to investigate the influence of whole milled flaxseed and partially defatted milled flaxseed press cake on the gut microbiota and the liberation of flaxseed bioactives. Microbial communities were profiled using 16S rRNA gene-based high-throughput sequencing with targeted mass spectrometry measuring lignan, cyclolinopeptide, and bile acid content and HPLC for short-chain fatty acid profiles. Flaxseed supplementation decreased gut microbiota richness with Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes becoming the predominant phyla. Secoisolariciresinol, enterodiol, and enterolactone were rapidly produced with acetic acid, butyric acid, and propionic acid being the predominant acids after 24 h of fermentation. The flaxseed press cake and whole flaxseed were equivalent in microbiota changes and functionality. However, press cake may be superior as a functional additive in a variety of foods in terms of consumer acceptance as it would be more resistant to oxidative changes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Molecules and Prebiotics for Gut Health and Beyond)

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14 pages, 11289 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Agrobacterium sp. ZX09 β-Glucan Attenuates Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-Induced Disruption of Intestinal Epithelium in Weaned Pigs

by Yuankang Zhou, Yuheng Luo, Bing Yu, Ping Zheng, Jie Yu, Zhiqing Huang, Xiangbing Mao, Junqiu Luo, Hui Yan and Jun He

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(18), 10290; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231810290 - 07 Sep 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1559

Abstract

To explore the protective effect of dietary β-glucan (BGL) supplementation on intestinal epithelium exposure to enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), thirty-two weaned pigs were assigned to four groups. Pigs were fed with a basal diet or basal diet containing 500 mg/kg BGL, and were orally infused with ETEC or culture medium. Results showed BGL supplementation had no influence on growth performance in weaned pigs. However, BGL supplementation increased the absorption of D-xylose, and significantly decreased the serum concentrations of D-lactate and diamine oxidase (DAO) in the ETEC-challenged pigs (p < 0.05). Interestingly, BGL significantly increased the abundance of the zonula occludens-1-(ZO-1) in the jejunal epithelium upon ETEC challenge (p < 0.05). BGL supplementation also increased the number of S-phase cells and the number of sIgA-positive cells, but significantly decreased the number of total apoptotic cells in the jejunal epithelium upon ETEC challenge (p < 0.05). Moreover, BGL significantly increased the duodenal catalase (CAT) activity and the ileal total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity in the ETEC-challenged pigs (p < 0.05). Importantly, BGL significantly decreased the expression levels of critical inflammation related proteins such as the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interlukin-6 (IL-6), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in the jejunal and ileal mucosa upon ETEC challenge (p < 0.05). BGL also elevated the propanoic acid content and the abundance of Lactobacillus and Bacillus in the colon upon ETEC challenge (p < 0.05). These results suggested BGL could alleviate the ETEC-induced intestinal epithelium injury, which may be associated with suppressed inflammation and improved intestinal immunity and antioxidant capacity, as well as the improved intestinal macrobiotic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Molecules and Prebiotics for Gut Health and Beyond)

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Review

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15 pages, 1003 KiB

Open AccessReview

Tactics with Prebiotics for the Treatment of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease via the Improvement of Mitophagy

by Ai Tsuji, Sayuri Yoshikawa, Yuka Ikeda, Kurumi Taniguchi, Haruka Sawamura, Sae Morikawa, Moeka Nakashima, Tomoko Asai and Satoru Matsuda

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5465; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065465 - 13 Mar 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2486

Abstract

Mitophagy/autophagy plays a protective role in various forms of liver damage, by renovating cellular metabolism linking to sustain liver homeostasis. A characterized pathway for mitophagy is the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1)/Parkin-dependent signaling pathway. In particular, PINK1-mediated mitophagy could play an indispensable role in improving the metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) which could precede to steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway might regulate the various characteristics of cellular homeostasis including energy metabolism, cell proliferation, and/or cell protection. Therefore, targeting mitophagy with the alteration of PI3K/AKT/mTOR or PINK1/Parkin-dependent signaling to eliminate impaired mitochondria might be an attractive strategy for the treatment of MAFLD. In particular, the efficacy of prebiotics for the treatment of MAFLD has been suggested to be useful via the modulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/AMPK pathway. Additionally, several edible phytochemicals could activate mitophagy for the improvement of mitochondrial damages, which could also be a promising option to treat MAFLD with providing liver protection. Here, the potential therapeutics with several phytochemicals has been discussed for the treatment of MAFLD. Tactics with a viewpoint of prospective probiotics might contribute to the development of therapeutic interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Molecules and Prebiotics for Gut Health and Beyond)

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