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The Gut Microbiota as Potential Therapeutic Targets for Synthetic Chemical Entities and Natural Products

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 6228

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The gut microbiota or the so called ‘hidden organ’ include several trillions of microbial counts in the human gut, which is predominantly composed of bacteria and to a less extent others, including fungi. Beyond aiding digestion, the microbiota and their products, such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), promote health through a variety of mechanisms, including through profound effects on the immune system. Changes in the gut microbiota structure and diversity could thus lead to several gastrointestinal problems, such as inflammatory bowel diseases and bowl cancer. Recent studies have also shown that dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is associated with the development of metabolic diseases ranging from obesity and diabetes to cardiovascular complications. There are also numerous central (e.g., neurodegenerative diseases) and peripheral diseases which trace their origin to changes to the gut microbiota. Accordingly, probiotics and/or other natural products that target the gut microbiota can be used either to promote health or reverse pathological conditions. Interestingly, variations in drug efficacy that used to be regarded of genetic origin have recently been established as those of environmental factors—predominantly due to variations in dietary habits that affect the structure/diversity of the gut the microbiota. Against such background, we have established this Special Issue: “The Gut Microbiota as Potential Therapeutic Targets for Synthetic Chemical Entities and Natural Products”, which will focus on:

  • Large (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fibers, etc.) and small molecular weight synthetic or natural products that promote health, and/or ameliorate diseases by targeting the gut microbiota;
  • Crude natural products (e.g., well-characterized medicinal foods and plant extracts), purified compounds of synthetic or natural origin or drug combination approaches on targeting the gut microbiota;
  • Molecules that enhance the bioavailability of drugs and biological agents through modulation of the gut microbiota;
  • The medicinal chemistry of the gut microbiota modulators;
  • Selective targeting of the gut microbiota by bioactive agents to improve the efficacy of therapeutic agents/approaches;
  • Modulation of the gut microbiota products (e.g., SCFAs) by bioactive compounds and or potential drugs in health and disease;
  • Molecules that modulate the gut microbiota diversity in human populations—on the way to personalized medicines;
  • Experimental designs and protocols that aid research in the field.

We welcome contributions in the form of original research or review articles covering any aspects of the above topics but with special emphasis on chemistry/biochemistry of the disease or potential therapeutics.

Prof. Dr. Solomon Habtemariam
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gut microbiota
  • dysbiosis
  • short chain fatty acids
  • firmicutes-to-bacteroidetes ratio
  • novel drugs
  • novel targets
  • probiotics
  • prebiotics

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1451 KiB  
Article
Dose-Dependent Effects of Dietary Xylooligosaccharides Supplementation on Microbiota, Fermentation and Metabolism in Healthy Adult Cats
by Yang Lyu, Sandra Debevere, Hermann Bourgeois, Mavis Ran, Bart J.G. Broeckx, Lynn Vanhaecke, Tom Van de Wiele and Myriam Hesta
Molecules 2020, 25(21), 5030; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules25215030 - 29 Oct 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2328
Abstract
In order to investigate the effect and appropriate dose of prebiotics, this study evaluated the effect of two levels of xylooligosaccharides (XOS) in cats. Twenty-four healthy adult cats were divided into three groups: no-XOS control diet with 1% cellulose; low XOS supplementation (LXOS) [...] Read more.
In order to investigate the effect and appropriate dose of prebiotics, this study evaluated the effect of two levels of xylooligosaccharides (XOS) in cats. Twenty-four healthy adult cats were divided into three groups: no-XOS control diet with 1% cellulose; low XOS supplementation (LXOS) with 0.04% XOS and 0.96% cellulose; and high XOS supplementation (HXOS) with 0.40% XOS and 0.60% cellulose. Both XOS groups increased blood 3-hydroxybutyryl carnitine levels and decreased hexadecanedioyl carnitine levels. Both XOS treatments displayed an increased bacterial abundance of Blautia, Clostridium XI, and Collinsella and a decreased abundance of Megasphaera and Bifidobacterium. LXOS groups increased fecal pH and bacterial abundance of Streptococcus and Lactobacillus, decreased blood glutaryl carnitine concentration, and Catenibacterium abundance. HXOS group showed a more distinct microbiome profile and higher species richness, and an increased bacterial abundance of Subdoligranulum, Ruminococcaceae genus (unassigned genus), Erysipelotrichaceae genus, and Lachnospiraceae. Correlations between bacterial abundances and blood and fecal parameters were also observed. In conclusion, XOS could benefit feline gut health by altering microbiota; its effects dependant on the dose. The higher-dose XOS increased bacterial populations that possibly promoted intestinal fermentation, while the lower dose altered populations of carbohydrate-metabolic microbiota and possibly modulated host metabolism. Low-dose prebiotics may become a trend in future studies. Full article
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Review

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12 pages, 786 KiB  
Review
Lactobacillus-Derived Bioactive Metabolites for the Regulation of Periodontal Health: Evidences to Clinical Setting
by Benso Sulijaya, Naoki Takahashi and Kazuhisa Yamazaki
Molecules 2020, 25(9), 2088; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules25092088 - 29 Apr 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3118
Abstract
Background: Gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in regulating host metabolism that affects the systemic health. To date, several studies have confirmed the fact that microbiota interacts with host, modulating immunity, controlling the homeostasis environment, and maintaining systemic condition. Recent studies have focused [...] Read more.
Background: Gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in regulating host metabolism that affects the systemic health. To date, several studies have confirmed the fact that microbiota interacts with host, modulating immunity, controlling the homeostasis environment, and maintaining systemic condition. Recent studies have focused on the protective function of poly unsaturated fatty acids, 10-oxo-trans-11-oxadecenoic acid (KetoC) and 10-hydroxy-cis-12-octadecenoic acid (HYA), generated by gut microbiota on periodontal disease. Nevertheless, the mechanism remains unclear as investigations are limited to in vivo and in vitro studies. In this present review, we found that the administration of metabolites, KetoC and HYA, by a probiotic gut microbiota Lactobacillus plantarum from linoleic acid is found to inhibit the oxidation process, possess an antimicrobial function, and prevent the inflammation. These findings suggest the promising use of functional lipids for human health. Conclusion: Protective modalities of bioactive metabolites may support periodontal therapy by suppressing bacterial dysbiosis and regulating periodontal homeostasis in the clinical setting. Full article
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