| 1. |
- Fåk, Frida, et al.
(author)
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Age-related Effects of the Probiotic Bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum 299v on Gastrointestinal Function in Suckling Rats
- 2008
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In: Digestive Diseases and Sciences. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-2568 .- 0163-2116. ; 53:664-671, s. 664-671
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The effect of a probiotic bacterium on gut function was studied in neonatal animals by using a model with suckling rats. Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lp299v) or saline (controls) was fed (3.0 x 10(6) CFU/g b.wt per day) for one week to rats aged either 3, 7 or 14 days, after which bacterial colonization, gut growth, and functional parameters were analyzed. In rats fed with Lp299v from 3 to 10 days of age, an increase in ceacal lactobacilli was correlated with reduced intestinal macromolecular permeability and increased mucosal protein compared to age-matched controls. Pups treated from 7 to 14 days of age showed a decrease in pancreas weight and protein content, whereas pups treated from 14 to 21 days of age showed little effect of the Lp299v treatment. The results indicated that the bacterial exposure affected the gut function, where the effects were age-related and the youngest rats appeared most sensitive.
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| 2. |
- Fåk, Frida, et al.
(author)
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Effects of a high-fat diet during pregnancy and lactation are modulated by E. coli in rat offspring
- 2012
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In: International Journal of Obesity. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-5497 .- 0307-0565. ; 36:5, s. 744-751
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Microbial manipulations in early life can affect gut development and inflammatory status of the neonate. The maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation also influences the health of the offspring, but the impact of maternal high-fat (HF) feeding along with modulations of the gut microbiota on body weight, fat deposition and gut function in the offspring has been poorly studied. Methods: Rat dams were given access to either an HF or a standard low-fat diet during the last 2 weeks of pregnancy and during lactation and effects on body weight and gastrointestinal function were investigated in the 14-day-old offspring. To elucidate whether bacterial administration to the dam could modulate any effects of the diets in the rat pups, another group of dams were given Escherichia coli in their drinking water. Results: Maternal HF feeding resulted in increased body and fat pad weights in the offspring, along with increased levels of the acute-phase protein, haptoglobin and decreased protein content and disaccharidase activities in the small intestine. The addition of E. coli further accentuated these responses in the young rats, which, in addition to higher body weights and increased fat deposition, also showed an increased intestinal permeability and elevated levels of haptoglobin. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates for the first time how bacterial administration to the maternal diet during the neonatal period can affect body weight and fat deposition in the offspring. The results point to a mechanistic link between the gut microbiota, increased intestinal permeability and metabolic endotoxemia, which appear to have led to increased adiposity in the young rats. International Journal of Obesity (2012) 36, 744-751; doi:10.1038/ijo.2011.118; published online 5 July 2011
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| 3. |
- Fåk, Frida, et al.
(author)
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Gastric ghrelin cell development is hampered and plasma ghrelin is reduced by delayed weaning in rats
- 2007
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In: Journal of Endocrinology. - : Bioscientifica. - 1479-6805 .- 0022-0795. ; 192:2, s. 345-352
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The duration of breastfeeding has attracted much interest, as a prolonged period of breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of developing obesity. The mechanism behind the reduced risk is, however, poorly understood. The novel hormone ghrelin augments appetite, promotes body. weight increase and increases adiposity. The majority of circulating ghrelin emanates from endocrine cells in the oxyntic mucosa of the stomach. In newborn humans and rodents, the number of ghrelin cells is low after birth until weaning, when the cell population is greatly expanded. To date, information about the influence of weaning perturbations on ghrelin cell development is scarce. Therefore, we studied the effect of delayed weaning on gastric ghrelin expression and plasma ghrelin concentration. To this end, special food separator cages were used to prevent the pups from eating solid food, forcing them to drink milk up to 21 days of age. Gastric ghrelin expression was examined by immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridisation, and plasma concentrations were assessed by RIA. Our data showed that gastric ghrelin expression and plasma ghrelin concentration are maintained at a lower level by delayed weaning. We also found that the relation between gastric ghrelin expression and body weight was altered by delayed weaning. Thus, control rats displayed a positive correlation between ghrelin expression and body weight, while no such correlation was evident in animals with delayed weaning. We conclude that delayed weaning exerts a negative influence on ghrelin expression, and that the onset of solid food intake may trigger normal ghrelin expression. Therefore, we suggest that ghrelin may constitute a hormonal link between the duration of breastfeeding and body weight development.
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| 4. |
- Fåk, Frida, et al.
(author)
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Microbial manipulation of the rat dam changes bacterial colonization and alters properties of the gut in her offspring.
- 2008
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In: American Journal of Physiology: Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. - : American Physiological Society. - 1522-1547 .- 0193-1857. ; 294, s. 148-154
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The impact of an altered bacterial colonization on gut development has not been thoroughly studied, despite the increased risk of certain diseases with a disturbed microbiota after birth. This study was conducted to determine the effect of microbial manipulation, i.e. antibiotic treatment or Escherichia coli (E. coli) exposure, of the dam on bacterial colonization and gut development in the offspring. Pregnant rats were administered either broad-spectrum antibiotics three days prior to parturition, or live non-pathogenic E. coli CCUG 29300T one week before parturition and up to 14 days of lactation in the drinking water. Caecal bacterial levels, gut growth, intestinal permeability, digestive enzyme levels and intestinal inflammation were studied in two-week old rats. Pups from dams that were antibiotic-treated had higher densities of Enterobacteriaceae which correlated with a decreased stomach growth and function, lower pancreatic protein levels, higher intestinal permeability and increased plasma levels of the acute phase protein, haptoglobin, compared with pups from untreated mothers. Exposure of pregnant/lactating mothers to E. coli CCUG 29300T, also resulting in increased Enterobacteriaceae levels, gave in the offspring similar results on the stomach and an increased small intestinal growth as compared to the control pups. Furthermore, E. coli pups showed increased mucosal disaccharidase activities, increased liver, spleen and adrenal weights, as well as increased plasma concentrations of haptoglobin. These findings indicate that disturbing the normal bacterial colonization after birth, by increasing the densities of caecal Enterobacteriaceae, appear to have lasting effects on the postnatal microflora which affects gut growth and function.
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| 5. |
- Lavasani, Shahram, et al.
(author)
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A novel probiotic mixture exerts a therapeutic effect on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mediated by IL-10 producing regulatory T cells.
- 2010
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In: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 5:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). One potential therapeutic strategy for MS is to induce regulatory cells that mediate immunological tolerance. Probiotics, including lactobacilli, are known to induce immunomodulatory activity with promising effects in inflammatory diseases. We tested the potential of various strains of lactobacilli for suppression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The preventive effects of five daily-administered strains of lactobacilli were investigated in mice developing EAE. After a primary screening, three Lactobacillus strains, L. paracasei DSM 13434, L. plantarum DSM 15312 and DSM 15313 that reduced inflammation in CNS and autoreactive T cell responses were chosen. L. paracasei and L. plantarum DSM 15312 induced CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) and enhanced production of serum TGF-beta1, while L. plantarum DSM 15313 increased serum IL-27 levels. Further screening of the chosen strains showed that each monostrain probiotic failed to be therapeutic in diseased mice, while a mixture of the three lactobacilli strains suppressed the progression and reversed the clinical and histological signs of EAE. The suppressive activity correlated with attenuation of pro-inflammatory Th1 and Th17 cytokines followed by IL-10 induction in MLNs, spleen and blood. Additional adoptive transfer studies demonstrated that IL-10 producing CD4(+)CD25(+) Tregs are involved in the suppressive effect induced by the lactobacilli mixture. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data provide evidence showing that the therapeutic effect of the chosen mixture of probiotic lactobacilli was associated with induction of transferable tolerogenic Tregs in MLNs, but also in the periphery and the CNS, mediated through an IL-10-dependent mechanism. Our findings indicate a therapeutic potential of oral administration of a combination of probiotics and provide a more complete understanding of the host-commensal interactions that contribute to beneficial effects in autoimmune diseases.
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| 6. |
- Linderoth, Ann, et al.
(author)
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Binding and the effect of the red kidney bean lectin, phytohaemagglutinin, in the gastrointestinal tract of suckling rats
- 2006
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In: British Journal of Nutrition. - 1475-2662. ; 95:1, s. 105-115
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Enteral exposure of suckling rats to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) has been shown to induce growth and precocious functional maturation of the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of the present study was to explore the mechanism of this action. Suckling rats, 14 d old, were fed a single dose of PHA (0.05 mg/g body weight) or saline. The binding of PHA to the gut epithelium and its effect on the morphology and functional properties of the gut and pancreas were studied up to 3 d after treatment. Initially, at 1-24 h, the PHA bound along the gut mucosal lining, resulting in disturbed gut morphology with villi shortening and rapid decreases in disaccharidase activities and macromolecular absorption capacity. During a later phase, between 1 and 3 d, the PHA binding had declined, and an uptake by enterocytes was observed. An increase in crypt cell proliferation and gut growth became evident during this period, together with a functional maturation, as indicated by increases in disaccharidase (maltase and sucrase) activities and the low macromolecular absorption capacity. Pancreas growth also increased, as did its content of digestive enzymes. We conclude that enteral exposure to PHA in suckling rats temporarily causes mucosal disarrangement and functional impediment of the gut, which may be explained by binding to and disruption of the gut mucosa and a two-fold increase in the plasma corticosterone concentration. These findings may lead to a better understanding of the role of diet in gastrointestinal maturation and may constitute a basis for the treatment of mammals having an immature gut.
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| 7. |
- Linninge, Caroline, et al.
(author)
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Effects on weight gain and gut microbiota in rats given bacterial supplements and a high-energy-dense diet from fetal life through to 6 months of age
- 2011
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In: British Journal of Nutrition. - 1475-2662. ; 106:6, s. 887-895
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects of a high-energy dense diet, supplemented with Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp) or Escherichia coli (Ec) on weight gain, fattening and the gut microbiota in rats. Since the mother’s dietary habits can influence offspring physiology, the dietary regimes started with the dams at pregnancy and through lactation, and continued with the offspring for six months. The weight gain of group Lp was lower than for groups C (control) and Ec (P=0•086). More retroperitoneal adipose tissue (P=0•030) and higher plasma leptin (P=0•035) were seen in group Ec compared to group Lp. The viable count of Enterobacteriaceae was higher in group Ec than in group Lp (P=0•019) and when all animals were compared, Enterobacteriaceae correlated positively with body weight (r=0•428, P=0•029). Bacterial diversity was lower in group Ec than in groups C (P=<0•05) and Lp (P=<0•05). Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia dominated in all groups, but Bacteroidetes were more prevalent in group C than in groups Lp (P=0•036) and Ec (P=0•056). The same five bacterial families dominated the microbiota of groups Ec and C, and four of these were also present in group Lp. The other five families dominating in group Lp were not found in any of the other groups. Multivariate data analysis pointed in the same directions as the univariate statistics. Our results suggest that supplementation of L. plantarum or E. coli can have long-term effects on the composition of the intestinal microbiota, as well as on weight gain and fattening.
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