Composition and energy harvesting capacity of the gut microbiota: relationship to diet, obesity and time in mouse models

Typeset version

 

TY  - JOUR
  - Murphy, EF,Cotter, PD,Healy, S,Marques, TM,O'Sullivan, O,Fouhy, F,Clarke, SF,O'Toole, PW,Quigley, EM,Stanton, C,Ross, PR,O'Doherty, RM,Shanahan, F
  - 2010
  - January
  - Gut
  - Composition and energy harvesting capacity of the gut microbiota: relationship to diet, obesity and time in mouse models
  - Validated
  - ()
  - 16S RIBOSOMAL-RNA INSULIN-RESISTANCE METABOLIC SYNDROME WEIGHT-LOSS MICE MICROFLORA ENDOTOXEMIA BIFIDOBACTERIA OVERWEIGHT DIVERSITY
  - 59
  - 1635
  - 1642
  - Background and Aims Increased efficiency of energy harvest, due to alterations in the gut microbiota (increased Firmicutes and decreased Bacteroidetes), has been implicated in obesity in mice and humans. However, a causal relationship is unproven and contributory variables include diet, genetics and age. Therefore, we explored the effect of a high-fat (HF) diet and genetically determined obesity (ob/ob) for changes in microbiota and energy harvesting capacity over time.Methods Seven-week-old male ob/ob mice were fed a low-fat diet and wild-type mice were fed either a low-fat diet or a HF-diet for 8 weeks (n=8/group). They were assessed at 7, 11 and 15 weeks of age for: fat and lean body mass (by NMR); faecal and caecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA, by gas chromatography); faecal energy content (by bomb calorimetry) and microbial composition (by metagenomic pyrosequencing).Results A progressive increase in Firmicutes was confirmed in both HF-fed and ob/ob mice reaching statistical significance in the former, but this phylum was unchanged over time in the lean controls. Reductions in Bacteroidetes were also found in ob/ob mice. However, changes in the microbiota were dissociated from markers of energy harvest. Thus, although the faecal energy in the ob/ob mice was significantly decreased at 7 weeks, and caecal SCFA increased, these did not persist and faecal acetate diminished over time in both ob/ob and HF-fed mice, but not in lean controls. Furthermore, the proportion of the major phyla did not correlate with energy harvest markers.Conclusion The relationship between the microbial composition and energy harvesting capacity is more complex than previously considered. While compositional changes in the faecal microbiota were confirmed, this was primarily a feature of high-fat feeding rather than genetically induced obesity. In addition, changes in the proportions of the major phyla were unrelated to markers of energy harvest which changed over time. The possibility of microbial adaptation to diet and time should be considered in future studies.
  - DOI 10.1136/gut.2010.215665
DA  - 2010/01
ER  - 
@article{V70046564,
   = {Murphy,  EF and Cotter,  PD and Healy,  S and Marques,  TM and O'Sullivan,  O and Fouhy,  F and Clarke,  SF and O'Toole,  PW and Quigley,  EM and Stanton,  C and Ross,  PR and O'Doherty,  RM and Shanahan,  F },
   = {2010},
   = {January},
   = {Gut},
   = {Composition and energy harvesting capacity of the gut microbiota: relationship to diet, obesity and time in mouse models},
   = {Validated},
   = {()},
   = {16S RIBOSOMAL-RNA INSULIN-RESISTANCE METABOLIC SYNDROME WEIGHT-LOSS MICE MICROFLORA ENDOTOXEMIA BIFIDOBACTERIA OVERWEIGHT DIVERSITY},
   = {59},
  pages = {1635--1642},
   = {{Background and Aims Increased efficiency of energy harvest, due to alterations in the gut microbiota (increased Firmicutes and decreased Bacteroidetes), has been implicated in obesity in mice and humans. However, a causal relationship is unproven and contributory variables include diet, genetics and age. Therefore, we explored the effect of a high-fat (HF) diet and genetically determined obesity (ob/ob) for changes in microbiota and energy harvesting capacity over time.Methods Seven-week-old male ob/ob mice were fed a low-fat diet and wild-type mice were fed either a low-fat diet or a HF-diet for 8 weeks (n=8/group). They were assessed at 7, 11 and 15 weeks of age for: fat and lean body mass (by NMR); faecal and caecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA, by gas chromatography); faecal energy content (by bomb calorimetry) and microbial composition (by metagenomic pyrosequencing).Results A progressive increase in Firmicutes was confirmed in both HF-fed and ob/ob mice reaching statistical significance in the former, but this phylum was unchanged over time in the lean controls. Reductions in Bacteroidetes were also found in ob/ob mice. However, changes in the microbiota were dissociated from markers of energy harvest. Thus, although the faecal energy in the ob/ob mice was significantly decreased at 7 weeks, and caecal SCFA increased, these did not persist and faecal acetate diminished over time in both ob/ob and HF-fed mice, but not in lean controls. Furthermore, the proportion of the major phyla did not correlate with energy harvest markers.Conclusion The relationship between the microbial composition and energy harvesting capacity is more complex than previously considered. While compositional changes in the faecal microbiota were confirmed, this was primarily a feature of high-fat feeding rather than genetically induced obesity. In addition, changes in the proportions of the major phyla were unrelated to markers of energy harvest which changed over time. The possibility of microbial adaptation to diet and time should be considered in future studies.}},
   = {DOI 10.1136/gut.2010.215665},
  source = {IRIS}
}
AUTHORSMurphy, EF,Cotter, PD,Healy, S,Marques, TM,O'Sullivan, O,Fouhy, F,Clarke, SF,O'Toole, PW,Quigley, EM,Stanton, C,Ross, PR,O'Doherty, RM,Shanahan, F
YEAR2010
MONTHJanuary
JOURNAL_CODEGut
TITLEComposition and energy harvesting capacity of the gut microbiota: relationship to diet, obesity and time in mouse models
STATUSValidated
TIMES_CITED()
SEARCH_KEYWORD16S RIBOSOMAL-RNA INSULIN-RESISTANCE METABOLIC SYNDROME WEIGHT-LOSS MICE MICROFLORA ENDOTOXEMIA BIFIDOBACTERIA OVERWEIGHT DIVERSITY
VOLUME59
ISSUE
START_PAGE1635
END_PAGE1642
ABSTRACTBackground and Aims Increased efficiency of energy harvest, due to alterations in the gut microbiota (increased Firmicutes and decreased Bacteroidetes), has been implicated in obesity in mice and humans. However, a causal relationship is unproven and contributory variables include diet, genetics and age. Therefore, we explored the effect of a high-fat (HF) diet and genetically determined obesity (ob/ob) for changes in microbiota and energy harvesting capacity over time.Methods Seven-week-old male ob/ob mice were fed a low-fat diet and wild-type mice were fed either a low-fat diet or a HF-diet for 8 weeks (n=8/group). They were assessed at 7, 11 and 15 weeks of age for: fat and lean body mass (by NMR); faecal and caecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA, by gas chromatography); faecal energy content (by bomb calorimetry) and microbial composition (by metagenomic pyrosequencing).Results A progressive increase in Firmicutes was confirmed in both HF-fed and ob/ob mice reaching statistical significance in the former, but this phylum was unchanged over time in the lean controls. Reductions in Bacteroidetes were also found in ob/ob mice. However, changes in the microbiota were dissociated from markers of energy harvest. Thus, although the faecal energy in the ob/ob mice was significantly decreased at 7 weeks, and caecal SCFA increased, these did not persist and faecal acetate diminished over time in both ob/ob and HF-fed mice, but not in lean controls. Furthermore, the proportion of the major phyla did not correlate with energy harvest markers.Conclusion The relationship between the microbial composition and energy harvesting capacity is more complex than previously considered. While compositional changes in the faecal microbiota were confirmed, this was primarily a feature of high-fat feeding rather than genetically induced obesity. In addition, changes in the proportions of the major phyla were unrelated to markers of energy harvest which changed over time. The possibility of microbial adaptation to diet and time should be considered in future studies.
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DOI_LINKDOI 10.1136/gut.2010.215665
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