Butyrate Producers as Potential Next-Generation Probiotics: Safety Assessment of the Administration of Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum to Healthy Volunteers (original) (raw)

Safety assessment of the butyrate-producing Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum strain 25-3(T), a potential probiotic for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, based on oral toxicity tests and whole genome sequencing

Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association, 2014

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, characterized by dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota. Probiotics have been suggested as a strategy to reduce active disease or extend remission. We isolated and characterized the butyrate-producing strain Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum 25-3(T) and identified it as a potential probiotic for patients with IBD. To evaluate the safety of 25-3(T) for use in humans, we conducted a standard acute oral toxicity test and a 28-day repeated oral dose toxicity test. The complete genome of B. pullicaecorum 25-3(T) was sequenced to search for virulence factors and antibiotic resistance determinants. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 21 antimicrobials was determined. Results showed no adverse effects in the oral toxicity tests. B. pullicaecorum 25-3(T) is resistant against aminoglycosides and trimethoprim. The genome of 25-3(T) contains no virulence factors, one gene related to harmful metabolites and 5...

A four-strain probiotic exerts positive immunomodulatory effects by enhancing colonic butyrate production in vitro

International Journal of Pharmaceutics

Poorly formulated probiotic supplements intended for oral administration often fail to protect bacteria from the challenges of human digestion, meaning bacteria do not reach the small intestine in a viable state. As a result, the ability of probiotics to influence the human gut microbiota has not been proven. Here we show how (i) considered formulation of an aqueous probiotic suspension can facilitate delivery of viable probiotic bacteria to the gut and (ii) quantitate the effect of colonisation and proliferation of specific probiotic species on the human gut microbiota, using an in-vitro gut model. Our data revealed immediate colonisation and growth of three probiotic species in the luminal and mucosal compartments of the proximal and distal colon, and growth of a fourth species in the luminal proximal colon, leading to higher proximal and distal colonic lactate concentrations. The lactate stimulated growth of lactate-consuming bacteria, altering the bacterial diversity of the microbiota and resulting in increased short-chain fatty acid production, especially butyrate. Additionally, an immunomodulatory effect of the probiotics was seen; production of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-10) was increased and production of inflammatory chemokines (MCP-1, CXCL 10 and IL-8.) was reduced. The results indicate that the probiotic species alone do not result in a clinical effect; rather, they facilitate modulation of the gut microbiota composition and metabolic activity thereby influencing the immune response.

Modulation of fecal Clostridiales bacteria and butyrate by probiotic intervention with Lactobacillus paracasei DG varies among healthy adults

The Journal of nutrition, 2014

The modulation of gut microbiota is considered to be the first target to establish probiotic efficacy in a healthy population. This study was conducted to determine the impact of a probiotic on the intestinal microbial ecology of healthy volunteers. High-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing was used to characterize the fecal microbiota in healthy adults (23-55 y old) of both sexes, before and after 4 wk of daily consumption of a capsule containing at least 24 billion viable Lactobacillus paracasei DG cells, according to a randomized, double-blind, crossover placebo-controlled design. Probiotic intake induced an increase in Proteobacteria (P = 0.006) and in the Clostridiales genus Coprococcus (P = 0.009), whereas the Clostridiales genus Blautia (P = 0.036) was decreased; a trend of reduction was also observed for Anaerostipes (P = 0.05) and Clostridium (P = 0.06). We also found that the probiotic effect depended on the initial butyrate concentration. In fact, participants wit...

The Synergistic Effects of Probiotic Microorganisms on the Microbial Production of Butyrate In Vitro

2010

Butyrate producing microbiota perform a number of activities important in supporting the normal function of the human gastrointestinal tract. The goal of this study was to determine the synergistic effects of lactate- and butyrate-producing bacteria on butyrate production in vitro co-culture. PCR was used to detect the genes butyrate kinase and butyryl-CoA transferase that contribute to butyrate production, in a panel of representative gut microbiota. Preliminary data suggested that two Clostridium sp. (ASF 500 and ASF 502) and one Eubacterium sp. (ASF492) possessed at least one of these genes for butyrate production. Co-culture experiments mixing a lactate-producer with a butyrate-producer showed an increase in butyrate production. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to estimate the number of bacteria in co-culture by targeting the 16S rDNA gene. Butyrate levels in the mixing experiment were analyzed using GC/MS. Preliminary results showed that butyrate genes are present in Clostri...

Butyrate-producing bacteria supplemented in vitro to Crohn’s disease patient microbiota increased butyrate production and enhanced intestinal epithelial barrier integrity

Scientific Reports

The management of the dysbiosed gut microbiota in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is gaining more attention as a novel target to control this disease. Probiotic treatment with butyrate-producing bacteria has therapeutic potential since these bacteria are depleted in IBD patients and butyrate has beneficial effects on epithelial barrier function and overall gut health. However, studies assessing the effect of probiotic supplementation on microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions are rare. In this study, butyrate-producing bacteria (three mono-species and one multispecies mix) were supplemented to the fecal microbial communities of ten Crohn's disease (CD) patients in an in vitro system simulating the mucus-and lumen-associated microbiota. Effects of supplementation in short-chain fatty acid levels, bacterial colonization of mucus environment and intestinal epithelial barrier function were evaluated. Treatment with F. prausnitzii and the mix of six butyrate-producers significantly increased the butyrate production by 5-11 mol%, and colonization capacity in mucus-and lumen-associated CD microbiota. Treatments with B. pullicaecorum 25-3 T and the mix of six butyrate-producers improved epithelial barrier integrity in vitro. This study provides proof-of-concept data for the therapeutic potential of butyrate-producing bacteria in CD and supports the future preclinical development of a probiotic product containing butyrate-producing species.

Butyrate-producing Clostridium cluster XIVa species specifically colonize mucins in an in vitro gut model

The ISME Journal, 2013

The human gut is colonized by a complex microbiota with multiple benefits. Although the surfaceattached, mucosal microbiota has a unique composition and potential to influence human health, it remains difficult to study in vivo. Therefore, we performed an in-depth microbial characterization (human intestinal tract chip (HITChip)) of a recently developed dynamic in vitro gut model, which simulates both luminal and mucosal gut microbes (mucosal-simulator of human intestinal microbial ecosystem (M-SHIME)). Inter-individual differences among human subjects were confirmed and microbial patterns unique for each individual were preserved in vitro. Furthermore, in correspondence with in vivo studies, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were enriched in the luminal content while Firmicutes rather colonized the mucin layer, with Clostridium cluster XIVa accounting for almost 60% of the mucin-adhered microbiota. Of the many acetate and/or lactate-converting butyrate producers within this cluster, Roseburia intestinalis and Eubacterium rectale most specifically colonized mucins. These 16S rRNA gene-based results were confirmed at a functional level as butyryl-CoA:acetate-CoA transferase gene sequences belonged to different species in the luminal as opposed to the mucin-adhered microbiota, with Roseburia species governing the mucosal butyrate production. Correspondingly, the simulated mucosal environment induced a shift from acetate towards butyrate. As not only inter-individual differences were preserved but also because compared with conventional models, washout of relevant mucin-adhered microbes was avoided, simulating the mucosal gut microbiota represents a breakthrough in modeling and mechanistically studying the human intestinal microbiome in health and disease. Finally, as mucosal butyrate producers produce butyrate close to the epithelium, they may enhance butyrate bioavailability, which could be useful in treating diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Prebiotic stimulation of human colonic butyrate-producing bacteria and bifidobacteria, in vitro

FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2014

Dietary macronutrients affect the composition of the gut microbiota, and prebiotics are used to improve and maintain a healthy gut. The impact of prebiotics on dominant gut bacteria other than bifidobacteria, however, is underresearched. Here, we report carbohydrate utilisation patterns for representative butyrate-producing anaerobes, belonging to the Gram-positive Firmicutes families Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae, by comparison with selected Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium species. Growth assessments using anaerobic Hungate tubes and a new rapid microtitre plate assay were generally in good agreement. The Bacteroides strains tested showed some growth on basal medium with no added carbohydrates, utilising peptides in the growth medium. The butyrateproducing strains exhibited different growth profiles on the substrates, which included starch, inulin, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and xylooligosaccharides (XOS). Eleven were able to grow on shortchain FOS, but this number decreased as the chain length of the fructan substrates increased. Long-chain inulin was utilised by Roseburia inulinivorans, but by none of the Bifidobacterium species examined here. XOS was a more selective growth substrate than FOS, with only six of the 11 Firmicutes strains able to use XOS for growth. These results illustrate the selectivity of different prebiotics and help to explain why some are butyrogenic.

Clostridium butyricum Strain MIYAIRI 588 (CBM588) as a Precision Probiotic Therapy in the Ketogenic Diet: A Possible Application?

Microbiology Research

The ketogenic diet has proven to be effective in many recent studies not only as a weight-losing strategy but also as a valuable add-on therapy in medical conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy. Additionally, frequent conditions such as autism spectrum disorders and Alzheimer disease could have a benefit derived from ketogenic diet metabolic changes. Many of these benefits could be driven by an intestinal microbiota change. While the effects of a ketogenic diet on microbiota should still be thoroughly clarified, as most studies observe an increase in bacterial strains considered neuroprotective such as Akkermansia muciniphila, with a concomitant reduction in some pathogenic strains such as Salmonella spp. it is important to highlight how many studies show a reduction in butyrate-producing strains, leading to a colonic proinflammatory state with increased intestinal permeability and an increase in pathogenic bacterial strains. The Clostridium butyricum strain MIYAIRI 588 (CBM588) i...

Safety and Effect of a Low- and High-Dose Multi-Strain Probiotic Supplement on Microbiota in a General Adult Population: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2020

Few studies have focused on dose-response analyses of multi-strain probiotics in the general adult population. This study aimed at comparing how a low-and high-dose of a multi-strain probiotic supplement (containing Lactobacillus helveticus R0052, Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011, Lactobacillus casei R0215, Pediococcus acidilactici R1001, Bifidobacterium breve R0070, Bifidobacterium longum ssp. longum BB536, Lactobacillus plantarum R1012, Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis R1058) affected microbiota composition, transit persistence and safety in adults. After a 7-d baseline, participants were randomized to receive capsules containing 5 or 25 billion CFU, or placebo daily for 28 days, followed by a 7-d washout. Digestive health and general wellness were assessed. Fecal microbiota composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and strain persistence, by qPCR. Participants' gastrointestinal and general wellbeing were unaffected. No adverse events were associated with either dose. Supplemented strains contributed to the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera detected in stool, with 0.40 ± 0.11% and 0.51 ± 0.26%, respectively, in the high-dose group. Strain-specific qPCR assays revealed variable levels of post-intervention persistence between strains. Sequencing and composition analyses using the 16S V4 region revealed a decrease in Holdemania and increase in Bacteroidales. The formulation was well tolerated in this sample of the general adult population, even at the higher dose. The strains appear to have influenced microbiota composition minimally, as expected in the absence of dysbiosis, and consistently with the dose administered. Overall, the results provide a rationale to study the effects this formulation on microbiota composition in individuals exhibiting dysbiosis associated with metabolic disorders or obesity.

Clostridium butyricum: from beneficial to a new emerging pathogen

Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2015

Clostridium butyricum, a strictly anaerobic spore-forming bacillus, is a common human and animal gut commensal bacterium, also frequently found in the environment. While non-toxigenic strains are currently used as probiotics in Asia, other strains have been implicated in pathologic conditions such as botulism in infants or necrotising enterocolitis in preterm neonates. In terms of the later, within the same species, different strains have antagonist effects on the intestinal mucosa. In particular, short-chain fatty acids, products of carbohydrate fermentation, have a dose-dependent paradoxical effect. Moreover, toxin genes have been identified by genome sequencing in pathologic strains. Asymptomatic carriage of these strains has also been reported. We will provide herein an overview of the implications of C. butyricum for human health, from the beneficial to the pathogenic. We focused on pathogenic strains associated with the occurrence of necrotising enterocolitis. We also discuss ...