Described here is a protocol to investigate the interactions between endobiotics and human gut microbiota using in vitro batch fermentation systems.
Human intestinal microorganisms have recently become an important target of research in promoting human health and preventing diseases. Consequently, investigations of interactions between endobiotics (e.g., drugs and prebiotics) and gut microbiota have become an important research topic. However, in vivo experiments with human volunteers are not ideal for such studies due to bioethics and economic constraints. As a result, animal models have been used to evaluate these interactions in vivo. Nevertheless, animal model studies are still limited by bioethics considerations, in addition to differing compositions and diversities of microbiota in animals vs. humans. An alternative research strategy is the use of batch fermentation experiments that allow evaluation of the interactions between endobiotics and gut microbiota in vitro. To evaluate this strategy, bifidobacterial (Bif) exopolysaccharides (EPS) were used as a representative xenobiotic. Then, the interactions between Bif EPS and human gut microbiota were investigated using several methods such as thin-layer chromatography (TLC), bacterial community compositional analysis with 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, and gas chromatography of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Presented here is a protocol to investigate the interactions between endobiotics and human gut microbiota using in vitro batch fermentation systems. Importantly, this protocol can also be modified to investigate general interactions between other endobiotics and gut microbiota.
Gut microbiota play an important role in the functioning of human intestines and in host health. Consequently, gut microbiota have recently become an important target for disease prevention and therapy1. Moreover, gut bacteria interact with host intestinal cells and regulate fundamental host processes, including metabolic activities, nutrient availabilities, immune system modulation, and even brain function and decision-making2,3. Endobiotics have considerable potential to influence the bacterial composition and diversity of gut microbiota. Thus, interactions between endobiotics and human gut microbiota have attracted increasing research attention4,5,6,7,8,9.
It is difficult to evaluate interactions between endobiotics and human gut microbiota in vivo due to bioethics and economic constraints. For example, experiments investigating the interactions between endobiotics and human gut microbiota cannot be performed without permission of the Food and Drug Administration, and recruitment of volunteers is expensive. Consequently, animal models are often used for such investigations. However, the use of animal models is limited due to different microbiota compositions and diversity in animal- vs. human-associated communities. An alternative in vitro method to explore the interactions between endobiotics and human gut microbiota is through the use of batch culture experiments.
Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are prebiotics that significantly contribute to the maintenance of human health10. Distinct EPSs that consist of different monosaccharide compositions and structures can exhibit distinct functions. Previous analyses have determined the composition of Bif EPSs, which are the representative xenobiotic targeted in the current study11. However, host-associated metabolic effects have not been considered with regard to EPS composition and diversity.
The protocol described here uses the fecal microbiota from 12 volunteers to ferment Bif EPSs. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC), 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, and gas chromatography (GC) are then used in combination to investigate the interactions between EPSs and human gut microbiota. Distinct advantages of this protocol compared to in vivo experiments are its low cost and avoidance of interfering effects from the host’s metabolism. Furthermore, the described protocol can be used in other studies that investigate interactions between endobiotics and human gut microbiota.
This protocol follows the guidelines of the ethics committee of Hunan University of Science and Engineering (Hunan, China), and the Zhejiang Gongshang University (Zhejiang, China).
1. Preparation of bacteria
2. Preparation of bifidobacterial EPSs
3. Preparation of fermentation medium
4. Human fecal sample preparation
5. In vitro batch fermentation
6. EPS degradation by human fecal microbiota
7. Effects of EPS on human intestinal microbiota
8. Effects of EPS on SCFA production by human intestinal microbiota
The production of mucoid EPS could be observed in B. longum cultures on PYG plates after anaerobic incubation for 72 h (Figure 1A). Centrifugation of culture scrapes, followed by ethanol precipitation and drying, resulted in the collection of cellulose-like EPS (Figure 1B). Dried EPS and soluble starch were then used as carbon sources for fermentation cultures. TLC was used for oligosaccharide separation and purity analysis due to its low cost and rapid results turnaround18. Although the degradation rate of starch by human fecal microbiota was faster than that of Bif EPS (Figure 2), Bif EPS degradation was clearly observed for some EPS-inoculated samples.
Community compositional analysis via 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) was then performed to investigate the effects of Bif EPS on human gut microbiota. Samples from the VI_Bif and VI_Starch groups clustered separately from each other in the PCoA analysis (Figure 3A), indicating that EPS and starch availability differentially shape human fecal bacterial communities. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) was further used to distinguish the specific bacterial taxa that differed between the VI_Bif and VI_Starch treatments. The genera Collinsella, Coprococcus, Parabacteroides, and Rhodopseudomonas were significantly more abundant in the VI_Bif samples than in the VI_Starch samples (Figure 3B). Furthermore, GC measurements were made for several SCFAs to evaluate their production following the addition of different carbon sources. SCFAs that were measured from fermentation cultures included acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, and valeric acids. Following fermentation for 24 h and 48 h, five of the six aforementioned SCFA concentrations were similar among treatments and not statistically different between the VI_Bif, VI_Starch, and VI groups. However, propionic acid concentrations were significantly higher in the VI_Bif group than in the VI_Starch group (Figure 4).
Figure 1: EPS produced by B. longum.
Frozen B. longum was restored in Bifidobacterium medium broth and then streaked onto PYG plates, followed by anaerobic incubation at 37 °C for 72 h (A). The EPS produced by bacterial cultures were scraped from plate cultures, precipitated using ethanol, and dried overnight using a speed vacuum (B). Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 2: TLC analysis of in vitro EPS and starch degradation by human gut microbiota.
TLC analysis was conducted on 0.2 μL samples collected at 24 h and 48 h from each fermentation culture grown under anaerobic conditions. VI, VI_Starch, and VI_Bif indicate VI media, VI media + starch supplement, and VI media + EPS supplement, respectively. The numbers 1–12 indicate fecal bacterial samples from the 12 volunteers that were used to inoculate the fermentation experiments. The control group represents treatment without additional carbon supplements. This figure is modified from Yin et al.11. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 3: Effects of Bif EPS availability on human gut microbiota communities.
(A) PCoA plot of gut microbiota community compositional dissimilarities based on the unweighted UniFrac metric. (B) LEfSE analysis of bacterial taxa that were differentially abundant among treatment groups. A cutoff of p < 0.05 was used to assess the statistical significance of bacterial taxonomic differences among groups. Ori indicates the gut microbiota of the volunteer fecal samples. VI_Bif and VI_Starch indicate the gut microbiota from fermentation samples using VI media with EPS and starch as carbon substrates, respectively. VI represents the control group with gut microbiota inoculated fermentations in VI media without supplementation of other carbohydrates. This figure is modified from Yin et al.11 Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 4: Effects of EPS availability on SCFA production after 24 h and 48 h of fermentation.
Acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, and valeric acids were detected using gas chromatography. VI_Bif, VI_Starch, and VI indicate the samples that were collected after cultivation using VI media + EPS, VI media + starch, and VI media, respectively. All samples were measured in triplicate. The figures were generated using GraphPad Prism Version 5.01. Panels represent organic acid concentrations within each fermented sample for A, acetic acid; B, propionic acid; C, isobutyric acid; D, butyric acid; E, isovaleric acid; and F, valeric acid. This figure is modified from Yin et al.11 Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Significant progress has been made towards understanding human gut microbiota composition and activities over the last decade. As a consequence of these studies, the holobiont concept has emerged, which represents the interactions between hosts and associated microbial communities, such as in between humans and their gut microbiota19,20. Furthermore, humans are even now regarded as superorganisms21, wherein the gut microbiota have been recognized as one of the functional organs in humans22,23. The human body hosts a complex microbial ecosystem, consisting of approximately 1013 microbial cells24. Moreover, the genomes of gut microbiota are considered auxiliary genomes from humans that encode numerous metabolic-related genes that expand the host’s metabolic capabilities4. However, xenobiotics, including therapeutic drugs and diet-derived bioactive compounds, can potentially alter the gut microbiome community structure and associated functions5. Increasing numbers of studies have indicated that interactions between gut microbiota and xenobiotics play important roles in mediating chemical toxicity and causing, or otherwise exacerbating, human diseases6,7. Thus, investigations of the interactions between xenobiotics and the human gut microbiota have recently garnered significant research attention.
Mouse models have been the most widely used methods to investigate interactions between microbiota and hosts. However, differences in composition and activities between the gut microbiota of humans and mice25 may result in inadequate modeling of human interactions through studies of mice. Nevertheless, bioethics considerations require minimal use of mice. An alternative to the above in vivo models is batch fermentation, which can be used to simulate human gut microbiota in vitro26. Consequently, fermentation experiments have been used to investigate the interactions between xenobiotics and human gut microbiota. For example, Yin et al.17 have used batch fermentation experiments to investigate the interactions between polysaccharides and human gut microbiota. The results from this study indicate that some polysaccharides can be metabolized by the human gut microbiota, and that polysaccharides modulate the human bacterial community and metabolites that they produce in vitro, including SCFAs. However, some methodological considerations are critical for use of this protocol. For example, fecal samples should be collected as soon as possible, and an anaerobic chamber should be used to ensure the growth of obligate anaerobes. The latter consideration is particularly critical, because oxygen exposure can lead to the death of some gut bacterial populations and thus, alteration of the bacterial community. In addition, xenobiotics are metabolized in the upper digestive system. Consequently, modeling the interactions between xenobiotics and the lower digestive system microbiota is an important consideration for in vivo modeling.
Batch fermentation experiments have clear advantages over in vivo human and animal studies because they are more economically feasible and convenient. Moreover, they can be used to investigate interindividual variation of human gut microbiota responses to xenobiotic exposure. Moreover, batch fermentation can be easily applied to manipulate microbiota communities and evaluate their associated metabolic functions. However, batch fermentation systems suffer from the limitation of static state dynamics. Future investigations could implement bioreactor chemostats that allow the dynamic modulation of pH, temperature, and peristalsis, while maintaining a steady supply of nutrients and the continuous removal of waste. Such activities would allow experiments to better mimic in vivo intestinal tracts and provide new insights to supplement those from batch fermentation experiments. An additional limitation of batch fermentation experiments is that they remove all microbiome-host tissue interactions. This could be a particularly important consideration, as some xenobiotics (e.g., methamphetamine) can be co-metabolized by human cells and gut microbiota27. Moreover, recent studies have indicated that gut metagenome (GM) can indirectly regulate xenobiotic metabolism via regulating host gene expression regulation8.
Although developments of batch fermentation systems are still needed, these systems can be widely used for high-throughput and rapid screening of interactions between xenobiotics and human gut microbiota. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying xenobiotic resistance and metabolism in active human gut microbiomes will provide important insights into unexplained patient-to-patient variation in drug efficacy and toxicity8,9. Furthermore, a more detailed understanding of how diets and specific food components alter microbial metabolisms and consequently effect host health is the first step towards realizing the goal of personalized medicine via microbiota modulation.
The authors have nothing to disclose.
This study was funded by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 31741109), the Hunan Natural Science Foundation (No. 2018JJ3200), and the construct program of applied characteristic discipline in Hunan University of Science and Engineering. We thank LetPub (www.letpub.com) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript.
0.22 µm membrane filters | Millipore | SLGP033RB | Use to filter samples |
0.4-mm Sieve | Thermo Fischer | 308080-99-1 | Use to prepare human fecal samples |
5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl β-D-galactopyranoside (X-Gal) | Solarbio | X1010 | Use to prepare color plate |
Acetic | Sigma-Aldrich | 71251 | Standard sample for SCFA |
Agar | Solarbio | YZ-1012214 | The component of medium |
Anaerobic chamber | Electrotek | AW 400SG | Bacteria culture and fermentation |
Autoclave | SANYO | MLS-3750 | Use to autoclave |
Bacto soytone | Sigma-Aldrich | 70178 | The component of medium |
Baking oven | Shanghai Yiheng Scientific Instruments Co., Ltd | DHG-9240A | Use to heat and bake |
Beef Extract | Solarbio | G8270 | The component of medium |
Bifidobacterium longum Reuter | ATCC | ATCC® 51870™ | Bacteria |
Bile Salts | Solarbio | YZ-1071304 | The component of medium |
Butyric | Sigma-Aldrich | 19215 | Standard sample for SCFA |
CaCl2 | Solarbio | C7250 | Salt solution of medium |
Capillary column | SHIMADZU-GL | InertCap FFAP (0.25 mm × 30 m × 0.25 μm) | Used to SCFA detection |
Casein Peptone | Sigma-Aldrich | 39396 | The component of medium |
Centrifuge | Thermo Scientific | Sorvall ST 8 | Use for centrifugation |
CoSO4.7H2O | Solarbio | C7490 | The component of medium |
CuSO4.5H2O | Solarbio | 203165 | The component of medium |
Cysteine-HCl | Solarbio | L1550 | The component of medium |
Ethanol | Sigma-Aldrich | E7023 | Use to prepare vitamin K1 |
FeSO4.7H2O | Solarbio | YZ-111614 | The component of medium |
Formic Acid | Sigma-Aldrich | 399388 | Used to TLC |
Gas chromatography | Shimadzu Corporation | GC-2010 Plus | Used to SCFA detection |
Glass beaker | Fisher Scientific | FB10050 | Used for slurry preparation |
Glucose | Solarbio | G8760 | The component of medium |
Haemin | Solarbio | H8130 | The component of medium |
HCl | Sigma-Aldrich | 30721 | Basic solution used to adjust the pH of the buffers |
Isobutyric | Sigma-Aldrich | 46935-U | Standard sample for SCFA |
Isovaleric Acids | Sigma-Aldrich | 129542 | Standard sample for SCFA |
K2HPO4 | Solarbio | D9880 | Salt solution of medium |
KCl | Solarbio | P9921 | The component of medium |
KH2PO4 | Solarbio | P7392 | Salt solution of medium |
LiCl.3H2O | Solarbio | C8380 | Use to prepare color plate |
Meat Extract | Sigma-Aldrich-Aldrich | 70164 | The component of medium |
Metaphosphoric Acid | Sigma-Aldrich | B7350 | Standard sample for SCFA |
MgCl2.6H2O | Solarbio | M8160 | The component of medium |
MgSO4.7H2O | Solarbio | M8300 | Salt solution of medium |
MISEQ | Illumina | MiSeq 300PE system | DNA sequencing |
MnSO4.H20 | Sigma-Aldrich | M8179 | Salt solution of medium |
Mupirocin | Solarbio | YZ-1448901 | Antibiotic |
NaCl | Solarbio | YZ-100376 | Salt solution of medium |
NaHCO3 | Sigma-Aldrich | 792519 | Salt solution of medium |
NanoDrop ND-2000 | NanoDrop Technologies | ND-2000 | Determine DNA concentrations |
NaOH | Sigma-Aldrich | 30620 | Basic solution used to adjust the pH of the buffers |
n-butanol | ChemSpider | 71-36-3 | Used to TLC |
NiCl2 | Solarbio | 746460 | The component of medium |
Orcinol | Sigma-Aldrich | 447420 | Used to prepare orcinol reagents |
Propionic | Sigma-Aldrich | 94425 | Standard sample for SCFA |
QIAamp DNA Stool Mini Kit | QIAGEN | 51504 | Extract bacterial genomic DNA |
Ready-to-use PBS powder | Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. | A610100-0001 | Used to prepare the lipid suspension |
Resazurin | Solarbio | R8150 | Anaerobic Equipment |
Speed Vacuum Concentrator | LABCONCO | CentriVap | Use to prepare EPSs |
Starch | Solarbio | YZ-140602 | Use to the carbon source |
Sulfuric Acid | Sigma-Aldrich | 150692 | Used to prepare orcinol reagents |
T100 PCR | BIO-RAD | 1861096 | PCR amplification |
TLC aluminium sheets | MerckMillipore | 116835 | Used to TLC |
Trypticase Peptone | Sigma-Aldrich | Z699209 | The component of medium |
Tryptone | Sigma-Aldrich | T7293 | The component of medium |
Tween 80 | Solarbio | T8360 | Salt solution of medium |
Valeric | Sigma-Aldrich | 75054 | Standard sample for SCFA |
Vitamin K1 | Sigma-Aldrich | V3501 | The component of medium |
Vortex oscillator | Scientific Industries | Vortex.Genie2 | Use to vortexing |
Yeast Extract | Sigma-Aldrich | Y1625 | The component of medium |
ZnSO4.7H2O | Sigma-Aldrich | Z0251 | The component of medium |