• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1555-1558
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• 2015

Administration of dietary fibers has various health benefits, mainly by increasing numbers of beneficial bacteria and enhancing production of short-chain fatty acids in the colon. There has been growing interest in the addition of dietary fiber to human diet, due to its prebiotic effects. This study aimed to evaluate the prebiotic activity of inulin using an in vitro batch fermentation system with human fecal microbiota. Fermentation of inulin resulted in a significantly greater ratio of Lactobacillus or Bifidobacteria to Enterobacteria strains as an index of healthy human intestine and elevated butyrate concentration, which are related to improvement of gut health.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.897-910
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• 2022

Bovine fecal microbiota is important for host health and its composition can be affected by various factors, such as diet, age, species, breed, regions, and environments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of diet and gender on fecal microbiota in Korean native Hanwoo cattle. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of fecal microbiota was conducted from 44 Hanwoo cattle divided into four groups: (1) 11 heifers fed an oat hay plus total mixed ration (TMR) diet for breeding (HOTB), (2) 11 heifers fed an early fattening TMR diet (HEFT), (3) 11 steers fed the early fattening TMR diet (SEFT), and (4) 11 steers fed the late fattening TMR diet (SLFT). Firmicutes and Bacteroidota were the first and second most dominant phyla in all the samples, respectively. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidota (F/B) ratio associated with feed efficiency was significantly greater in the SLFT group than in the other groups. At the genus level, Romboutsia, Paeniclostridium, and Turicibacter were the most abundant in the SLFT while Akkermansia, Bacteroides, and Monoglobus were the most abundant in the HOTB group. Although the same early fattening TMR diet was fed to Hanwoo heifers and steers, Marvinbryantia and Coprococcus were the most abundant in the HEFT group while Alistipes and Ruminococcus were the most abundant in the SEFT group. Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were significantly lower in the SLFT group than in the other groups. Distribution of fecal microbiota and functional genetic profiles were significantly different among the four treatment groups. The present study demonstrates that different diets and genders can affect fecal microbiota and the F/B ratio may be associated with feed efficiency in Hanwoo cattle. Our results may help develop strategies to improve gut health and productivity through manipulation of fecal microbiota using the appropriate diet considering Hanwoo cattle gender.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.3.1-3.21
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• 2022

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and the number of cancer patients is expected to continuously increase in the future. Traditional cancer therapies focus on inhibiting cancer growth while largely ignoring the contribution of the immune system in eliminating cancer cells. Recently, better understanding of immunological mechanisms pertaining to cancer progress has led to development of several immunotherapies, which revolutionized cancer treatment. Nonetheless, only a small proportion of cancer patients respond to immunotherapy and maintain a durable response. Among multiple factors contributing to the variability of immunotherapy response rates, commensal microbiota inhabiting patients have been identified as one of the most critical factors determining the success of immunotherapy. The functional diversity of microbiota differentially affects the host immune system and controls the efficacy of immunotherapy in individual cancer patients. Moreover, clinical studies have demonstrated that changing the gut microbiota composition by fecal microbiota transplantation in patients who failed a previous immunotherapy converts them to responders of the same therapy. Consequently, both academic and industrial researchers are putting extensive efforts to identify and develop specific bacteria or bacteria mixtures for cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we will summarize the immunological roles of commensal microbiota in cancer treatment and give specific examples of bacteria that show anticancer effect when administered as a monotherapy or as an adjuvant agent for immunotherapy. We will also list ongoing clinical trials testing the anticancer effect of commensal bacteria.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.14-18
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• 2014

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.119-138
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to review the clinical research of the gut microbiome for respiratory diseases to assist the design of trials for respiratory diseases by regulating the gut microbiome with herbal medicine later. Methods: We searched three international databases (PubMed, CENTRAL and EMBASE) to investigate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the gut microbiome for respiratory diseases. The selected trials were analyzed by study design, subject diseases, inclusion/exclusion criteria, sample size, study period, intervention group, control group, outcome measures, and study results. Results: A total of 25 studies were included and published from 1994 to 2021 mostly in Europe and Asia. Subject diseases were many in the order of respiratory tract infection, cystic fibrosis, allergy, and so on. As outcome measures, the gut microbiome in a fecal sample was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing analysis method, and symptom assessment tools related each disease were used. Major intervention drugs were probiotics and the results were mostly improved in the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome. Conclusion: Clinical studies of the gut microbiome for respiratory diseases have confirmed various effects and this review provides basic data for a well-designed clinical study for respiratory diseases by regulating the gut microbiome with herbal medicine.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.65-76
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• 2018

Although there has been a steady increase in the prevalence of food allergies worldwide in recent decades, no effective therapeutic strategies have been developed. Modulation of the gut microbiota composition and/or function through probiotics has been highlighted as a promising target for protection against food allergies. In this study, we aimed to investigate the allergy-reducing effects of a probiotic mixture (P5: Lactococcus lactis KF140, Pediococcus pentosaceus KF159, Lactobacillus pentosus KF340, Lactobacillus paracasei 698, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 26N) in mice with ovalbumin (OVA)-induced food allergy. Administration of P5 significantly suppressed the oral OVA challenge-induced anaphylactic response and rectal temperature decline, and reduced diarrhea symptoms. Moreover, P5 also significantly inhibited the secretion of IgE, Th2 cytokines (interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13), and Th17 cytokines (IL-17), which were increased in mice with OVA-induced food allergy, and induced generation of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. These results revealed that P5 may have applications as a preventive agent against food allergy.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.447-453
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• 2015

We determined the optimal culture conditions for obtaining the maximum number of intestinal bacteria from the olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus, and studied bacterial diversity using both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. Using six culture conditions, mean bacterial numbers were greater than $10^6$ per gram of gut mucus, regardless of the medium. However, the bacterial diversity, based on colony morphology, appeared much higher on Marine agar (MA) and Zobell 2216 agar than on other media. We found eight and 17 cultured bacterial phylotypes with 99% minimum similarity in gut mucus grown on MA and tryptic soy agar, respectively. Furthermore, we used genomic DNA extracted from gut mucus to generate 78 random clones, which were grouped into 25 phylotypes. Of these, six were affiliated with Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia, and were not found using our culture-dependent methods. Consequently, we believe that Marine agar and Zobell 2216 agar are optimal media for culturing diverse intestinal microbes; we also discovered several novel sequences not previously recognized as part of the gut microbiota of olive flounder.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.6.1-6.24
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• 2023

Intestinal microorganisms interact with various immune cells and are involved in gut homeostasis and immune regulation. Although many studies have discussed the roles of the microorganisms themselves, interest in the effector function of their metabolites is increasing. The metabolic processes of these molecules provide important clues to the existence and function of gut microbes. The interrelationship between metabolites and T lymphocytes in particular plays a significant role in adaptive immune functions. Our current review focuses on 3 groups of metabolites: short-chain fatty acids, bile acids metabolites, and polyamines. We collated the findings of several studies on the transformation and production of these metabolites by gut microbes and explained their immunological roles. Specifically, we summarized the reports on changes in mucosal immune homeostasis represented by the Tregs and Th17 cells balance. The relationship between specific metabolites and diseases was also analyzed through latest studies. Thus, this review highlights microbial metabolites as the hidden treasure having potential diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets through a comprehensive understanding of the gut-immune interaction.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2020

Various processing methods have a great impact on the physiochemical and nutritional properties of meat that are of health concern. Hence, the postmortem processing of meat by different methods is likely to intensify the potential effects on protein oxidation. The influence of meat protein oxidation on the modulation of the systemic redox status and underlying mechanism is well known. However, the effects of processed meat proteins isolated from different sources on gut microbiota, oxidative stress biomarkers, and metabolomic markers associated with metabolic syndromes are of growing interest. The application of advanced methodological approaches based on OMICS, and mass spectrometric technologies has enabled to better understand the molecular basis of the effect of processed meat oxidation on human health and the aging process. Animal studies indicate the involvement of dietary proteins isolated from different sources on health disorders, which emphasizes the impact of processed meat protein on the richness of bacterial taxa such as (Mucispirillum, Oscillibacter), accompanied by increased expression of lipogenic genes. This review explores the most recent evidences on meat processing techniques, meat protein oxidation, underlying mechanisms, and their potential effects on nutritional value, gut microbiota composition and possible implications on human health.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.798-807
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• 2018

Several studies have reported the effect of absorption of procyanidins and their contribution to the small intestine. However, differences between dietary interventions of procyanidins and interventions via antibiotic feeding in pigs are rarely reported. Following 16S rRNA gene Illumina MiSeq sequencing, we observed that both procyanidin administration for 2 months (procyanidin-1 group) and continuous antibiotic feeding for 1 month followed by procyanidin for 1 month (procyanidin-2 group) increased the number of operational taxonomic units, as well as the Chao 1 and ACE indices, compared to those in pigs undergoing antibiotic administration for 2 months (antibiotic group). The genera Fibrobacter and Spirochaete were more abundant in the antibiotic group than in the procyanidin-1 and procyanidin-2 groups. Principal component analysis revealed clear separations among the three groups. Additionally, using the online Molecular Ecological Network Analyses pipeline, three co-occurrence networks were constructed; Lactobacillus was in a co-occurrence relationship with Trichococcus and Desulfovibrio and a co-exclusion relationship with Bacillus and Spharerochaeta. Furthermore, metabolic function analysis by phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states demonstrated modulation of pathways involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acids, energy, and nucleotides. These data suggest that procyanidin influences the gut microbiota and the intestinal metabolic function to produce beneficial effects on metabolic homeostasis.