Recently, a clinical blood metabogram was developed as a fast, low-cost and reproducible test that allows the implementation of metabolomics in clinical practice. The components of the metabogram are functionally related groups of blood metabolites associated with humoral regulation, the metabolism of lipids, carbohydrates and amines, lipid intake into the organism, and liver function, thereby providing clinically relevant information. It is known that the gut microbiota affects the blood metabolome, and the components of the blood metabolome may affect the composition of the gut microbiota. Therefore, before using the metabogram in the clinic, the link between the metabogram components and the level of gut microorganisms should be established. For this purpose, the metabogram and microbiota data were obtained in this work for the same individuals. Metabograms of blood plasma were obtained by direct mass spectrometry of blood plasma, and the gut microbiome was determined by a culture-based method and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This study involved healthy volunteers and individuals with varying degrees of deviation in body weight (n = 44). A correlation analysis determined which metabogram components are linked to which gut microorganisms and the strength of this link. Moreover, diagnostic parameters (sensitivity, specificity and accuracy) confirmed the capacity of metabogram components to be used for diagnosing gut microbiota alterations. Therefore, the obtained results allow the use of the metabogram in a clinical setting, taking into account its relationship with gut microbiota.

Adequate experimental animal models play an important role in an objective assessment of the effectiveness of medicines and functional foods enriched with biologically active substances. The aim of our study was a comparative assessment of the effect of consumption of 1 or 2% cholesterol with and without regular (two times a week), moderate running exercise on the main biomarkers of lipid and cholesterol metabolism, as well as the intestinal microbiota of male Wistar rats. In experimental rats, a response of 39 indicators (body weight, food consumption, serum biomarkers, liver composition, and changes in intestinal microbiota) was revealed. Total serum cholesterol level increased 1.8 times in animals consuming cholesterol with a simultaneous increase in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (2 times) and decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (1.3 times) levels compared to the control animals. These animals had 1.3 times increased liver weight, almost 5 times increased triglycerides level, and more than 6 times increased cholesterol content. There was a tendency towards a decrease in triglycerides levels against the background of running exercise. The consumption of cholesterol led to a predominance of the Bacteroides family, due to a decrease in F. prausnitzii (1.2 times) and bifidobacteria (1.3 times), as well as an increase in Escherichia family (1.2 times). The running exercise did not lead to the complete normalization of microbiota.

Зерновые продукты из амаранта, киноа и гречихи: роль в питании человека и поддержании кишечного микробиома

Environmental contamination by polymer wastes and microplastics (MPs) has recently become important for health care, due to the emergence of a lot of evidence that MPs affect the health of living organisms, including humans. MPs commonly presented in drinking water and various groups of food products, and are found in human stool, colon tissue, and blood samples. When MPs are orally ingested, the first object for their interaction with the organism is the gastrointestinal microbiota. Considering the essential importance of the intestinal microbiota for human health, the study of the negative consequences of such contact becomes very important. The results of “in vitro” and “in vivo” experimental studies summarized in the review indicate MPs to have negative effects on the microbial community composition and of the intestinal barrier state, and are themselves subject to microbial degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. “In vivo” studies, the entry of MPs into the intestine is accompanied by an increase in α-diversity of the microbiota, presumably due to foreign microorganisms attached to the particles, including those in as part of biofilms formed on their surfaces. Competing with representatives of normal intestinal flora, these microorganisms are able to enzymatically degrade or overcome the mucosal barrier. Simultaneously the biofilm matrix associate with intestinal mucus and provides MPs particles with retention in the mucin layer and direct contact with the apical part of epitheliocytes. This leads to irritation, local inflammation, and damage to the intestinal barrier. MPs and their biotransformation products can also systemically affect the host organism, translocating from the intestine into the bloodstream. The review emphasizes that to identify and characterize the health risks associated with the intake of various MPs from food, studies assessing their interaction with the microbiota and biotransformation pathways in the intestine are necessary.