Inhibition of Tumor Growth by Dietary Indole-3-Carbinol in a Prostate Cancer Xenograft Model May Be Associated with Disrupted Gut Microbial Interactions

Abstract

Accumulated evidence suggests that the cruciferous vegetables-derived compound indole-3-carbinol (I3C) may protect against prostate cancer, but the precise mechanisms underlying its action remain unclear. This study aimed to verify the hypothesis that the beneficial effect of dietary I3C may be due to its modulatory effect on the gut microbiome of mice. Athymic nude mice (5–7 weeks old, male, Balb c/c nu/nu) with established tumor xenografts were fed a basal diet (AIN-93) with or without 1 µmoles I3C/g for 9 weeks. The effects of dietary I3C on gut microbial composition and microbial species interactions were then examined by 16s rRNA gene-based sequencing and co-occurrence network analysis. I3C supplementation significantly inhibited tumor growth (p < 0.0001) and altered the structure of gut microbiome. The abundance of the phylum Deferribacteres, more specifically, Mucispirillum schaedleri, was significantly increased by dietary I3C. Additionally, I3C consumption also changed gut microbial co-occurrence patterns. One of the network modules in the control group, consisting of seven bacteria in family S-27, was positively correlated with tumor size (p < 0.009). Moreover, dietary I3C disrupted microbial interactions and altered this association between specific microbial network and tumor development. Our results unraveled complex relationships among I3C ingestion, gut microbiota, and prostate tumor development and may provide a novel insight into the mechanism for the chemopreventive effect of dietary I3C on prostate cancer.

Gastrointestinal Motility and Improvement Efficacy of Shenhuang Plaster Application on Shenque: Identification, Evaluation, and Mechanism

“…Certain bacteria which are beneficial in chemotherapy have been identified. For instance, Bacteroides [54], Deferribacteres [55], Tenericutes [56], and Actinobacteria [57] were indicated to be of beneficial for chemotherapy patients. At the genus level, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001 [58] and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group [59] are involved in the degradation of carbohydrates and proteins to produce various organic acids.…”

Diversity and Co-Occurrence Patterns of Soil Bacterial and Fungal Communities of Chinese Cordyceps Habitats at Shergyla Mountain, Tibet: Implications for the Occurrence

“…Besides the above-mentioned microbial diversity and composition, for each microhabitat, the microbiota establishes a complicated community with interactions among microbial species, including a range of complex positive (commensalism, mutualism) and negative (amensalism, parasitism or predation, and competition) interactions occurring among different microbial species [47]. The network analysis of microbial co-occurrence patterns, especially showing positive or negative correlations, can provide a new perspective to investigate the structure of complex microbial communities, potential microbial interactions, and their ecological roles [48,49]. The occurrence of Chinese Cordyceps is actually the outcome of the infection, colonization, and growth of an entomogenous fungus ( O. sinensis ) on host insects living in the soil.…”

Dysbiosis Triggers ACF Development in Genetically Predisposed Subjects

“…Therefore, this evidence, combined with the low grade of SCFA excretion and the derived easy contact of microbial antigens to the intestinal epithelium, may boost inflammatory features as well as the formation of ACF. Moreover, based on the protective role of Mucispirillum schaedleri in different mice diseases [ 60 ], the lowest amount of this bacterial strain in Winnie and Winnie-APC Min/+ models may contribute to CAC and thus warrants further investigation. However, due to the lack of genome and transcriptome analyses, we would underline that the pathogenicity is not related only to the presence/absence of pathobiont, more than probiotic, taxa.…”