Transplanting fecal material from wild‐type mice fed black raspberries alters the immune system of recipient mice

Abstract

By constantly stimulating intestinal immunity, gut microbes play important regulatory roles, and their possible involvement in human physical and mental disorders beyond intestinal diseases suggests the importance of maintaining homeostasis in the gut microbiota. Both transplantation of fecal microbiota and dietary interventions have been shown to restore microbial homeostasis in recipients. In the current study with wild-type mice, we combined these two approaches to determine if transplanting fecal material from mice fed black raspberries (BRB, 5%) altered recipients' immune system. The donors received a control or 5% BRB diet, and fecal transplantation was performed every other day 15 times into recipients fed control diet. Afterward, we used flow cytometry to analyze populations of CD3 + T, CD4 + T, CD8 + T cells, and NK cells among bone marrow cells, splenocytes, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from the recipients. We found that BRB-fecal material that contained both fecal microbiota and their metabolites increased NK cell populations among bone marrow cells, splenocytes, and PBMCs, and raised levels of CD8 + T cells in splenocytes. Our findings suggest that fecal transplantation can modulate the immune system and might therefore be valuable for managing a range of physical and mental disorders.

The Notch signaling pathway: a potential target for cancer immunotherapy

“…Metabolites of gut microbiota (e.g., butyric acid, pentanoate, and butyrate) also induced Treg cell differentiation [ 158 ], increased the secretion of anti-tumor cytokines (e.g., IFN-γ and TNF-α) by CD8 + T cells, and enhanced the anti-tumor responses of antigen-specific CTLs and CAR-T cells [ 159 ]. In collaboration with the Wang lab, we found that feeding black raspberries, a natural product, significantly induced distinct changes in murine gut microbiota, increased the abundance of anti-inflammatory microbial species (e.g., Akkermansia and Desulfovibrio ), activated anti-tumor immune cells (e.g., NK cells), and enhanced those cells’ anti-tumor immune responses [ 160 – 163 ]. Conversely, dysbiosis of gut microbiota in mice increased susceptibility to colon tumors because it overstimulated CD8 + T cells, which in turn promoted chronic inflammation and early T cell exhaustion, thereby reducing the cells’ anti-tumor immune response [ 154 ].…”

Antioxidative and Immunomodulating Properties of Aronia melanocarpa Extract Rich in Anthocyanins

“…Anthocyanins are flavonoid compounds formed by a combination of anthocyanins and sugars. Plant anthocyanins have apparent antioxidant [ 9 , 10 ] and anti-inflammatory [ 11 , 12 ] properties. According to the existing literature, anthocyanins can be used as functional active ingredients and therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of diseases [ 13 , 14 ].…”

Dysregulated Free Fatty Acid Receptor 2 Exacerbates Colonic Adenoma Formation in ApcMin/+ Mice: Relation to Metabolism and Gut Microbiota Composition

“…Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in both sexes in the United States [ 1 ]. Many factors are associated with the development of colorectal cancer, such as “unhealthy” diets [ 2 - 6 ], gut inflammation [ 7 - 10 ], and microbial dysbiosis [ 11 - 14 ].…”