Nutrition and Gut Microbiome

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Gut Microbiota".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 395

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Section of Clinical Nutrition and Nutrigenomics, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: microbiota; microbiome; leaky gut; diet; inflammation; obesity; microbes; bacteria
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to invite you to the Special Issue entitled “Nutrition and Gut Microbiome”.

There is a consensus that nutrition is a significant factor shaping gut microbiome composition. Many studies have compared the gut microbiota profile of individuals with different dietary patterns to assess the effect of alimentation on microbial diversity and abundance. The factors investigated include nutrients such as fiber, fats, proteins, and the intake of fermentable foods. Healthy dietary patterns associated with higher fiber intake are repeatedly demonstrated to be associated with better gut microbial diversity. Additionally, they allow a higher abundance of beneficial bacterial species. These short-chain fatty acid producers could possibly decrease inflammation and enhance gut barrier function. Fats are less studied, but some results suggest that high-fat or long-chain triglyceride consumption can increase the presence of desirable bacteria in the intestines.

This Special Issue aims to clarify the role of some foods with complementary pro-, pre-, or postbiotics. These are non-digestible food ingredients, such as non-digestible fiber-containing prebiotics that promote the growth of 'good' microorganisms in the colon; live bacterial cultures in fermented food products and/or active bacterial cultures present in yogurt that are beneficial to health and well-being; non-digestible food ingredients that promote the proliferation of good bacteria. In clinical studies, dietary intervention of up to 4 weeks has shown differential effects on the gut microbial composition, suggesting an accelerated turnover rate of gut microbiota. Following dietary restriction or malnutrition, there is also a shift in microbial composition, with a proportional decrease in beneficial bacterial groups compared to the increased abundance of pathobionts.

The scope of this Special Issue surrounds the development of personalized nutrition based on gut microbial composition, allowing for the establishment of better dietary guidelines and treatment recommendations. It will introduce topics and their scientific background, and highlight the importance of this research area.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Nutrition;
  • Gut microbiome;
  • Effect of alimentation on microbial diversity and abundance;
  • Dietary patterns associated with better gut microbial diversity;
  • Dietary patterns associated with decrease inflammation and gut barrier function;
  • Role of some foods with complementary pro-, pre-, or postbiotics;
  • Microbial composition;
  • Personalized nutrition.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Merra
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nutrition
  • gut microbiome
  • diet
  • microbial diversity
  • pro-, pre- and post-biotics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 7176 KiB  
Article
Gut Microbiota and Lipid Metabolism in Bullfrog Tadpoles: A Comparative Study Across Nutritional Stages
by Zhilong Wang, Pengxiang Liu, Jun Xie, Huirong Yang, Guangjun Wang, Kai Zhang, Rui Shu, Zhifei Li, Jingjing Tian, Hongyan Li, Wenping Xie, Wangbao Gong and Yun Xia
Microorganisms 2025, 13(5), 1132; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13051132 - 15 May 2025
Viewed by 189
Abstract
Our study investigated the growth-related metabolic changes and microbial community dynamics during the early feeding stage of bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeiana) tadpoles. In this research, we examined the changes in fat accumulation patterns, as well as the levels of biochemical and enzymatic [...] Read more.
Our study investigated the growth-related metabolic changes and microbial community dynamics during the early feeding stage of bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeiana) tadpoles. In this research, we examined the changes in fat accumulation patterns, as well as the levels of biochemical and enzymatic indicators and genes mRNA expression related to lipid metabolism across the endogenous, mixed, and exogenous nutritional stages of bullfrog tadpoles from a single mating pair. Simultaneously, we characterized the community structures of intestines, excreta, and water bodies during these stages using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology. Our findings reveal that fat accumulation in tadpole tissues gradually increases with the onset of feeding. Levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, non-esterified fatty acid, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol show a significant increase in exogenous nutritional stages. The mRNA levels of lipid synthesis-related genes and lipid degradation-related genes increased gradually with the changes of nutritional stage. Significant differences were observed in microbial community characteristics among intestines, excreta, and water bodies across nutritional stages. Specifically, gut microbiota exhibited a lower similarity to water body microbiota but a higher similarity to excreta microbiota. Notably, the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteriota, and the genus Cetobacterium within the gut microbiota, increased with nutritional changes. A Spearman correlation analysis highlighted a significant correlation between gut microbiota composition and lipid metabolism markers, particularly a strong positive association between Cetobacterium and lipid-related parameters. These insights provide a theoretical foundation for nutritional interventions aimed at enhancing tadpole growth and survival rates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Gut Microbiome)
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