Cannabidiol (CBD) is a dietary supplement with numerous purported health benefits and an expanding commercial market. Commercially available CBD preparations range from tinctures, oils, and powders, to foods and beverages. Despite widespread use, information regarding bioavailability of these formulations is limited. The purpose of this study was to test the bioavailability of two oral formulations of CBD in humans and explore their potential acute anti‐inflammatory activity. We conducted a pilot randomized, parallel arm, double‐blind study in 10 healthy adults to determine differences in pharmacokinetics of commercially available water and lipid‐soluble CBD powders. Participants consumed a single 30 mg dose, which is within the range of typical commercial supplement doses, and blood samples were collected over 6 hr and analyzed for CBD concentrations. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected at baseline and T = 90 min, cultured and stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce an inflammatory response. Cell supernatants were assayed for IL‐10 and TNF, markers of inflammation, using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays. The water‐soluble powder had Cmax = 2.82 ng/ml, Tmax = 90 min, and was approximately ×4.5 more bioavailable than the lipid‐soluble form. TNF was decreased in LPS‐stimulated PBMCs collected 90 min after CBD exposure relative to cells collected at baseline. This study provides pilot data for designing and powering future studies to establish the anti‐inflammatory potential and bioavailability of a larger variety of commercial CBD products consumed by humans.

Probiotics are increasingly used by consumers and practitioners to reduce gastrointestinal (GI) distress and improve gut function. Here, we sought to determine whether the addition of supplemental bacteriophages (PreforPro) could enhance the effects of a common probiotic, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (B. lactis) on GI health. A total of 68 participants were enrolled in a 4-week, randomized, parallel-arm, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial where primary outcomes included self-assessments of GI health, a daily stool log, and 16s rRNA analysis of gut microbial populations. We observed within-group improvements in GI inflammation (p = 0.01) and a trending improvement in colon pain (p = 0.08) in individuals consuming B. lactis with PreforPro, but not in the group consuming only the probiotic. There was also a larger increase in Lactobacillus and short-chain fatty acid-producing microbial taxa detected in the stool of participants taking PreforPro with B. lactis compared to the probiotic alone. Overall, these results suggest the addition of PreforPro as a combination therapy may alter gut ecology to extend the GI benefits of consuming B. lactis or other probiotics.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the US and worldwide. By 2030 it is anticipated that CVD will claim the lives of more than 24 million people. Throughout the last decade, researchers have investigated the role of the gut microbiota in the development of CVD. Evidence exists for a positive correlation between Bifidobacterium and vascular function, glucose tolerance, and reduced systemic inflammation. Another probiotic species, Bacillus subtilis, has also been found to reduce cholesterol levels in human and animal models. In light of these data, we examined various measures of cardiovascular health after consumption of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strain BL04, with and without a cocktail of Escherichia coli-targeting bacteriophages (marketed as PreforPro), Bacillus subtilis strain DE111 or a maltodextrin-based placebo in a healthy human population. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled 4-week intervention conducted in individuals 18 to 65 years of age with a body mass index of 20 to 34.9, we saw no significant changes in measured CVD parameters among individuals consuming B. lactis with or without bacteriophages. However, B. subtilis supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in total cholesterol relative to baseline measures (-8 mg/dl; P=0.04, confidence interval (CI): -13.40, -0.19), as well as non-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (-11 mg/dl; P=0.01, CI: -12.43, -2.07). In addition we observed trending improvements in endothelial function (P=0.05, CI: -0.003, 0.370) and in low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P=0.06, CI:-12.29, 0.2864). Strikingly, these effects were seen in a largely healthy population. These data suggest that B. subtilis supplementation may be beneficial for improving risk factors associated with CVD. Further studies in populations of older adults or those with dyslipidaemia and endothelial dysfunction is warranted.

Recent preclinical data suggest that alterations in the gut microbiota may be an important factor linking obesity to vascular dysfunction, an early sign of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to begin translation of these preclinical data by examining whether vascular phenotypes in humans are transmissible through the gut microbiota. We hypothesized that germ-free mice colonized with gut microbiota from obese individuals would display diminished vascular function compared to germ-free mice receiving microbiota from lean individuals.We transplanted fecal material from obese and lean age-and sex-matched participants with disparate vascular function to germ-free mice. Using Principle Component Analysis, the microbiota of colonized mice separated by donor group along the first principle component, accounting for between 70-93% of the total variability in the dataset. The microbiota of mice receiving transplants from lean individuals was also characterized by increased alpha diversity, as well as increased relative abundance of potentially beneficial bacteria, including Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Bacteroides ovatis. Endothelium-dependent dilation, aortic pulse wave velocity and glucose tolerance were significantly altered in mice receiving microbiota from the obese donor relative to those receiving microbiota from the lean donor or those remaining germ-free.These data indicate that the obesity-associated human gut microbiota is sufficient to alter the vascular phenotype in germ-free mice in the absence of differences in body weight or dietary manipulation, and provide justification for future clinical trials to test the efficacy of microbiotatargeted therapies in the prevention or treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Probiotics make up a large and growing segment of the commercial market of dietary supplements and are touted as offering a variety of human health benefits. Some of the purported positive impacts of probiotics include, but are not limited to, stabilization of the gut microbiota, prevention of gastrointestinal disorders and modulation of the host immune system. Current research suggests that the immunomodulatory effects of probiotics are strain-specific and vary in mode of action. Here, we examined the immunomodulatory properties of Bacillus subtilis strain DE111 in a healthy human population. In a pilot randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled four-week intervention, we examined peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) at basal levels pre- and post-intervention, as well as in response to stimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We observed an increase in anti-inflammatory immune cell populations in response to ex vivo LPS stimulation of PBMCs in the DE111 intervention group. Overall perceived gastrointestinal health, microbiota, and circulating and fecal markers of inflammation (Il-6, sIgA) and gut barrier function (plasma zonulin) were largely unaffected by DE111 intervention, although the study may have been underpowered to detect these differences. These pilot data provide information and justification to conduct an appropriately powered clinical study to further examine the immunomodulatory potential of B. subtilis DE111 in human populations.