Abstract
BackgroundThe gut microbiota is critical for intestinal homeostasis. Recent studies have revealed the links between different types of dysbiosis and diseases inside and outside the intestine. Environmental exposure to pollutants (such as heavy metals) can also impair various physiological functions for good health. Here, we studied the impact of up to 8 weeks of oral lead and cadmium ingestion on the composition of the murine intestinal microbiome.ResultsPyrosequencing of 16S RNA sequences revealed minor but specific changes in bacterial commensal communities (at both family and genus levels) following oral exposure to the heavy metals, with notably low numbers of Lachnospiraceae and high numbers levels of Lactobacillaceae and Erysipelotrichaceacae (mainly due to changes in Turicibacter spp), relative to control animals.ConclusionsNon-absorbed heavy metals have a direct impact on the gut microbiota. In turn, this may impact the alimentary tract and overall gut homeostasis. Our results may enable more accurate assessment of the risk of intestinal disease associated with heavy metal ingestion.
Highlights
The gut microbiota is critical for intestinal homeostasis
High concentrations of non-absorbed HMs remain in the gut microenvironment, where they may have a direct impact on the gut ecosystem and its overall physiology [1,2]
We previously reported that chronic ingestion of Cd and Pb induced (i) anemia and tissue iron loss from tissues, (ii) slight but consistent changes in the expression of transport-related genes, (iii) the small intestine and colon’s oxidative and inflammatory status and (iv) genotoxicity [11]
Summary
The gut microbiota is critical for intestinal homeostasis. Recent studies have revealed the links between different types of dysbiosis and diseases inside and outside the intestine. Environmental exposure to pollutants (such as heavy metals) can impair various physiological functions for good health. We studied the impact of up to 8 weeks of oral lead and cadmium ingestion on the composition of the murine intestinal microbiome. Chronic ingestion of environmental heavy metals (HMs, such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd)) is associated with the occurrence of various diseases. The gastrointestinal epithelium has several essential functions: constituting a physical barrier, ensuring mucosal immune responses and excluding or detoxifying harmful intestinal content. These processes are highly influenced by the microbiota via a complex interplay with the host [5,6,7]. We sought to characterize possible impact of environmental Pb and Cd on the microbial ecosystem in mice, in order to better understand
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