A randomized, double-blinded study evaluating effect of matcha green tea on human fecal microbiota.

Matcha green tea is made from powdered green tea leaves. Unlike regular green tea, Matcha green tea is believed to exert beneficial effects on the gut microbiota, as it is richer in nutrients such as tea catechins and insoluble dietary fiber. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of consumption of Matcha green tea on the gut microbiota. Human participants were randomly assigned to a placebo (n = 16) or a Matcha green tea (n = 17) drink group and asked to drink the treatments for two weeks. Feces were collected from the participants pre- and post-treatment and fecal microbiota composition was analyzed by 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing. The beta-diversity of microbial composition significantly (p<0.05) changed in MGT group but not in placebo group. In addition, the number of unique bacterial genera significantly (p<0.05) changed in the Matcha green tea group was 30, while it was only 3 in the Placebo group. Increase and decrease in abundances of Coprococcus and Fusobacterium, respectively, in the gut microbiota of Matcha green tea group, conferred potential health benefits to the host. The present study was registered in the UMIN Clinical Trial Registry (UMIN000043857).

Elemental diet induces alterations of the gut microbial community in mice.

The aim of the present study was to investigate elemental diet (ED)-induced alteration of the fecal and mucosal microbiome in mice. The control group was fed a normal chow and the ED group was fed normal chow containing 50% w/w Elental® (EA Pharma, Tokyo, Japan) for 28 days. Fecal and mucosal microbiome were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In the fecal samples, the observed species, an index for microbial richness, was significantly decreased in the ED group. Principal coordinate analysis revealed that there were significant compositional differences between the control and ED groups (PERMANOVA p = 0.0007 for unweighted and p = 0.002 for weighted UniFrac distance, respectively). In contrast, there was no significant difference in the overall structure of mucosal microbiome between the control and ED groups. In the fecal samples, abundance of the genera Adlercreutzia, Akkermansia, Streptococcus, Helicobacter, Coprobacillus and Coprococcus was significantly reduced in the ED group compared to the control group. Abundance of the genera Lactobacillus and Staphylococcus was significantly increased in the ED group. In a functional analysis using PICRUSt software, ED altered various pathways involved in amino acid metabolism of the gut microbiome. In conclusion, ED caused a reduction in bacterial diversity and altered metabolic functions.

Dietary supplementation with partially hydrolyzed guar gum helps improve constipation and gut dysbiosis symptoms and behavioral irritability in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Prebiotic dietary water-soluble fiber obtained from partially hydrolyzed guar gum was added to diets of children with autism spectrum disorders who presented constipation symptoms. Supplementation with partially hydrolyzed guar gum altered gut microbiota and significantly increased the frequency of defecation per week and altered the gut microbiota. In addition, supplementation with partially hydrolyzed guar gum significantly (p<0.05) decreased and tended to decrease (p = 0.07) the concentrations of serum interleukin-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-α, respectively. More importantly, supplementation with partially hydrolyzed guar gum significantly ameliorated behavioral irritability as per the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, Japanese Version. The present study demonstrated that supplementation with partially hydrolyzed guar gum to diets of constipated autism spectrum disorders children helped improve constipation and gut dysbiosis symptoms, which in turn helped attenuate the level of serum inflammation cytokines and behavioral irritability.

Effect of storage and DNA extraction method on 16S rRNA-profiled fecal microbiota in Japanese adults.

The effect of two factors, storage and the bacterial DNA extraction method, that potentially affect the 16S rRNA-based profiling of the microbiota in the feces of Japanese adults, were evaluated. Profiles of the microbiota in feces stored in DESS (DMSO-EDTA-salt solution) for 1, 2 and 3 weeks at room temperature, and for 3 weeks at 4°C were compared with those in fresh feces and feces stored in guanidine thiocyanate solution for 3 weeks at 4°C. None of the storage variables (preservation solution, temperature and duration) considerably affected α- and ß-diversity of the fecal microbiota and OTU profiles. Regarding the bacterial DNA extraction methods, four were evaluated; A) silica membrane DNA purification combined with bead-beating bacterial disruption, B) magnetic bead DNA purification combined with bead-beating bacterial disruption, C) manual DNA purification using phenol-chloroform and ethanol precipitation combined with enzymatic bacterial lysis, and D) DNA extraction by a commercially available DNA stool kit. While methods A, B, and C did not markedly affect α- and ß-diversity of the fecal microbiota and the OTU profiles, method D noticeably altered both α- and ß-diversity. In addition, method D caused significant changes in the abundance of two predominant genera; Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium.

Characterization of fungal dysbiosis in Japanese patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There are no previous reports describing the fecal fungal microbiome of a Japanese population using advanced molecular techniques. In this study, we performed a molecular analysis on the fungal microbial community of a healthy Japanese population and patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fecal samples were obtained from 18 patients with inactive ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 18), Crohn's disease (CD, n = 20) and healthy volunteers (n = 20). Bacterial and fungal microbiome was analyzed by sequencing of 16S rRNA and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, respectively. RESULTS: 16S rRNA sequencing of the bacterial microbiome revealed that the α-diversity indicated by the Chao-1 and Shannon indices was significantly lower in CD patients compared to healthy controls and/or UC patients. Principal coordinate (PCo) analysis of the bacterial community revealed significant structural differences in microbiome among healthy controls, UC and CD patients (PERMANOVA P = 0.0001). ITS sequencing of the fungal microbiome indicated no significant differences in α-diversity between healthy controls and IBD patients. However, the overall structure of the fungal microbial community of CD patients was significantly different from those of healthy controls and UC patients (PERMANOVA = 0.03). At the genus level, the genus Saccharomyces was dominant and this was followed by the genus Sarocladium in healthy controls. The abundance of the genus Candida was significantly higher in CD patients than healthy controls and/or UC patients. CONCLUSION: The fecal fungal microbiome of a Japanese population differed considerably from that of a Western population. We identified fungal dysbiosis in Japanese patients with IBD.

Analysis of endoscopic brush samples identified mucosa-associated dysbiosis in inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: The mucosa-associated gut microbiota directly modulates epithelial and mucosal function. In this study, we investigated the mucosa-associated microbial community in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), using endoscopic brush samples. METHODS: A total of 174 mucus samples from 43 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), 26 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 14 non-IBD controls were obtained by gentle brushing of mucosal surfaces using endoscopic cytology brushes. The gut microbiome was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in microbial structure among different anatomical sites (the ileum, cecum and sigmoid colon) within individuals. There was, however, a significant difference in microbial structure between CD, UC and non-IBD controls. The difference between CD and non-IBD controls was more marked than that between UC patients and non-IBD controls. α-Diversity was significantly lower in UC and CD patients than non-IBD controls. When comparing CD patients with non-IBD controls, the phylum Proteobacteria was significantly increased and the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were significantly reduced. These included a significant increase in the genera Escherichia, Ruminococcus (R. gnavus), Cetobacterium, Actinobacillus and Enterococcus, and a significant decrease in the genera Faecalibacterium, Coprococcus, Prevotella and Roseburia. Comparisons between CD and UC patients revealed a greater abundance of the genera Escherichia, Ruminococcus (R. gnavus), Clostridium, Cetobacterium, Peptostreptococcus in CD patients, and the genera Faecalibacterium, Blautia, Bifidobacterium, Roseburia and Citrobacter in UC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Mucosa-associated dysbiosis was identified in IBD patients. CD and UC may be distinguishable from the mucosa-associated microbial community structure.

Electrical detection of millimeter-waves by magnetic tunnel junctions using perpendicular magnetized L10-FePd free layer.

Spin dynamics excited by spin-polarized current in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) is potentially useful in nanoscale electrical oscillation sources and detection devices. A spin oscillator/detector should work at a high frequency, such as that of a millimeter-wave, where the quality of a semiconductor device is restricted by carrier mobility, the CR time constant, and so on. Developers of spin systems for practical use need to find out how to excite spin dynamics (i) in the millimeter-wave region, (ii) with low power consumption (ex: no external magnetic field, low damping material), and (iii) for broad frequency modulation. Here L10-ordered FePd alloy with perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy (PMA) and a low damping constant, 0.007, was used for the free layer in the MTJs, and a homodyne-detected ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) signal was obtained at around 30 GHz together with the possibility of one-octave frequency modulation. The FMR signal in out-of-plane magnetized L10-ordered FePd free layer could be excited without an external magnetic field by injecting in-plane spin polarized alternating current. This study shows the potential utility of L10-ordered alloy materials such as FePt, CoPt, MnAl, and MnGa in a variety of millimeter-wave spin devices.

2-Oxabutane as a substitute for internal monomer units of oligosaccharides to create lectin ligands.

The synthesis of bioactive oligosaccharides is too tedious to scale up for commercialization. However, structurally simplified glycomimetics are commercializable, if they can be synthesized much more easily than the oligosaccharides while having a comparable bioactivity. In this study, we propose a 2-oxabutane (OB) structure as an imitation of the internal monosaccharide units in oligosaccharides. Two trimannoside and three pentamannoside OB-glycomimics were synthesized in remarkably short steps. Among them, Manα1-OB-2Man 10, a trimannoside mimic, showed eight-fold affinity toward concanavalin A (ConA) relative to methyl mannoside in latex agglutination lectin assay and equilibrium dialysis assay (EDA), while the other mimics showed three- to four-fold affinities. EDA indicated that the bindings between each mimic molecule and a ConA subsite were all in one-to-one stoichiometry and thus these mimics were monovalent ligands, excluding multivalence effect for the high affinities. The strong affinity of 10 could be explained by the occupation of two mannose binding sites of a ConA subsite by its two mannose units. Mimic 10 proved to be even a better ligand for ConA than the natural disaccharide Manα1,2Man, while been much more easy to synthesize, thereby illustrating the potential of the approach here presented.