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Research article
Age-related Changes of Microbiota in Midlife Associated with Reduced Saccharolytic Potential: An In Vitro Study
Liying Zhu
Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2337-2950
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background: Gut microbiota is critical in maintaining human health, of which diversity and abundance are subject to significantly reduce in seniors. Gut microbiota is reported to be stable across the long adulthood in general, but lack of careful examination, especially for the midlife people.
Results: To characterize the gut microbiota in midlife, we investigated the faecal microbiota between two groups of healthy people, young, 20-39 years old, n=15; and midlife, 40-60 years old, n=15. Metabolic responses of the microbiota were studied through in vitro batch fermentation model. Although no difference was observed in the diversity indices between the two age groups, a wide range taxonomic changes were found in the faecal microbiota. Furthermore, substantial Bifidobacterium reduction was also found in both faecal and fermented samples. The faecal SCFAs are similar in both groups，as well as starch fermentation broth. However, after inulin fermentation, the acetate concentration and inulin degradation rate decreased while the gas production increased in midlife group, suggesting a deficiency of saccharolytic potential in midlife, especially for non-digestible carbohydrate.
Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that gut microbiota begin to change as early as in midlife. The reduction in Bifidobacterium dominates the change of the microbiota composition in midlife resulting in attenuated saccharolytic capacity of inulin, leading to insufficient acetate production which might be associated with healthy problems in this transition period from young to elderly.
Keywords
midlife, microbiota, in vitro fermentation, SCFAs, acetate, gas production
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This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
- supplementalFig.1.pdf
Additional file 1: supplemental Fig. 1.pdf Relative abundance of genus taxonomic level within individual faecal samples.
- supplementalFig.2.pdf
Additional file 2: supplemental Fig. 2.pdf ANOSIM test of Bray_Curtis distance matrix calculation. (A) Faecal samples, (B) broth samples of starch fermentation, (C) broth samples of inulin fermentation.
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Editorial decision: Major revision
On 27 Nov, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 22 Nov, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 28 Oct, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 22 Oct, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 21 Oct, 2020
Editor assigned
On 14 Oct, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 14 Oct, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 13 Oct, 2020
Editor invited
On 13 Oct, 2020
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Editorial decision: Major revision
On 27 Aug, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 21 Aug, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 09 Jul, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 04 Jul, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 23 Jun, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 01 Jun, 2020
Editor assigned
On 19 May, 2020
First submitted
On 18 May, 2020
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On 18 May, 2020
Editor invited
On 18 May, 2020
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Subject Areas
General Microbiology
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This preprint is under consideration at BMC Microbiology. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research article
Age-related Changes of Microbiota in Midlife Associated with Reduced Saccharolytic Potential: An In Vitro Study
Liying Zhu
Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2337-2950
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 3
Posted 10 Jan, 2021
No community comments so far
Review #2 received
Received 19 Jan, 2021
Review #1 received
Received 04 Jan, 2021
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 29 Dec, 2020
Editor assigned
On 25 Dec, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 25 Dec, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 25 Dec, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 25 Dec, 2020
Editor invited
On 25 Dec, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 27 Nov, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 22 Nov, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 28 Oct, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 22 Oct, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 21 Oct, 2020
Editor assigned
On 14 Oct, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 14 Oct, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 13 Oct, 2020
Editor invited
On 13 Oct, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 27 Aug, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 21 Aug, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 09 Jul, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 04 Jul, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 23 Jun, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 01 Jun, 2020
Editor assigned
On 19 May, 2020
First submitted
On 18 May, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 18 May, 2020
Editor invited
On 18 May, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Subject Areas
General Microbiology
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background: Gut microbiota is critical in maintaining human health, of which diversity and abundance are subject to significantly reduce in seniors. Gut microbiota is reported to be stable across the long adulthood in general, but lack of careful examination, especially for the midlife people.
Results: To characterize the gut microbiota in midlife, we investigated the faecal microbiota between two groups of healthy people, young, 20-39 years old, n=15; and midlife, 40-60 years old, n=15. Metabolic responses of the microbiota were studied through in vitro batch fermentation model. Although no difference was observed in the diversity indices between the two age groups, a wide range taxonomic changes were found in the faecal microbiota. Furthermore, substantial Bifidobacterium reduction was also found in both faecal and fermented samples. The faecal SCFAs are similar in both groups，as well as starch fermentation broth. However, after inulin fermentation, the acetate concentration and inulin degradation rate decreased while the gas production increased in midlife group, suggesting a deficiency of saccharolytic potential in midlife, especially for non-digestible carbohydrate.
Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that gut microbiota begin to change as early as in midlife. The reduction in Bifidobacterium dominates the change of the microbiota composition in midlife resulting in attenuated saccharolytic capacity of inulin, leading to insufficient acetate production which might be associated with healthy problems in this transition period from young to elderly.
Figure 1
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Figure 4
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Figure 7