Morishita Jintan Co., Ltd.

Blackcurrant is available as a traditional medicine in Europe. However, the detailed effects of blackcurrant on the human gut microbiota remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the prebiotic effects of a blackcurrant extract using a human fecal culture model in six healthy subjects. Feces were individually inoculated into a medium with or without the blackcurrant extract and then fermented for 48 hr under anaerobic conditions. The results obtained from analysis of samples from the fermented medium demonstrated that after 48 hr of fermentation, the pH of the medium with the blackcurrant extract was significantly decreased (control, 6.62 ± 0.20; blackcurrant extract, 6.41 ± 0.33; p=0.0312). A 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis of the microbiota of the fermented medium showed a significant increase in the relative abundance of Bifidobacteriaceae. In measuring the concentrations of putrefactive components in the fermented medium, we found that the blackcurrant extract significantly reduced ammonia levels and displayed a tendency toward reduced indole levels. Our results suggest that blackcurrant extract could be a potential ingredient for relief of putrefactive components in the gut.

An acylated flavonol glycoside, trans-tiliroside (1), is found in certain parts of different herbs, including the seeds of Rosa canina (Rosaceae). Previous studies on compound 1 have focused on triglyceride (TG) metabolism, including its anti-obesity and intracellular TG reduction effects. In the present study, the effects of compound 1 on cholesterol (CHO) metabolism were investigated using human hepatocellular carcinoma-derived HepG2 cells and mice. Compound 1 decreased CHO secretion in HepG2 cells, which was enhanced by mevalonate in a concentration-dependent manner and decreased the secretion of apoprotein B (apoB)-100, a marker of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). Compound 1 also inhibited the activity of microsomal triglyceride transfer proteins, which mediate VLDL formation from cholesterol and triglycerides in the liver. In vivo, compound 1 inhibited the accumulation of Triton WR-1339-induced TG in the blood of fasted mice and maintained low levels of apoB-100. These results suggest that compound 1 inhibits the secretion of CHO as VLDL from the liver and has the potential for use for the prevention of dyslipidemia.Graphical abstract

Bifidobacterium longum BB536 supplementation can be used to regulate bowel movements in various people, including healthy subjects and patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); however, individuals vary in their responses to B. longum BB536 treatment. One putative factor is the gut microbiota; recent studies have reported that the gut microbiota mediates the effects of diet or drugs on the host. Here, we investigated intestinal features, such as the microbiome and metabolome, related to B. longum BB536 effectiveness in increasing bowel movement frequency.

A randomized, double-blind controlled crossover trial was conducted with 24 adults who mainly tended to be constipated. The subjects received a two-week dietary intervention consisting of B. longum BB536 in acid-resistant seamless capsules or similarly encapsulated starch powder as the placebo control. Bowel movement frequency was recorded daily, and fecal samples were collected at several time points, and analyzed by metabologenomic approach that consists of an integrated analysis of metabolome data obtained using mass spectrometry and microbiome data obtained using high-throughput sequencing. There were differences among subjects in B. longum intake-induced bowel movement frequency. The responders were predicted by machine learning based on the microbiome and metabolome features of the fecal samples collected before B. longum intake. The abundances of eight bacterial genera were significantly different between responders and nonresponders.

Intestinal microbiome and metabolome profiles might be utilized as potential markers of improved bowel movement after B. longum BB536 supplementation. These findings have implications for the development of personalized probiotic treatments.