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Modulation of Microbiome for Metabolic Health Depends on Diet, Specific Gut Bacteria and Background Microbiomes
Abstract
Over the last decades, scientists have attempted to modulate intestinal microbiome for metabolic health. However, the conditions under which microbiome modulation will successfully lead to consistent benefits on metabolic health are poorly understood. In this dissertation, we utilized ecological principles and a combination of minimal and complex mouse microbiome models to understand how interplay among diet, microbiome and host may beneficially influence host metabolic status. First, we tested combinations of the prebiotics galacooligosaccharides (GOS) and probiotic bacteria Bifidobacterium adolescentis IVS-1on their ability to improve metabolic syndrome in mice. Also, we tested metabolic benefits from A. muciniphila and B. vulgatus presence in mice harboring one of three distinct microbiomes. Alternatively, we tested whether feeding soybean oil genetically enriched for polyunsaturated fatty acids could attenuate metabolic syndrome in mice with and without intestinal A. muciniphila. Finally, we tested competitive exclusion in strains of A. muciniphila and B. vulgatus in mice harboring positive and negative microbiomes. We found that feeding combinations of pre- and probiotics may no be as beneficial as the individual compounds. Also, we observed that beneficial effects from probiotics depend on resident background microbiome. In addition, transgenic soybean oil together with A. muciniphila may be utilized in dietary strategies to improve physiology and metabolism during metabolic syndrome. Lastly, we confirmed that the competitive exclusion principle is applicable to gut ecosystems. All these results suggested that it is possible to test ecological principles related to diet, niche and competition in order to understand gut microbiome ecosystems and their modulation.
Subject Area
Microbiology|Nutrition
Recommended Citation
Segura Munoz, Rafael R, "Modulation of Microbiome for Metabolic Health Depends on Diet, Specific Gut Bacteria and Background Microbiomes" (2020). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI27828706.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI27828706