Prolonged transfer of feces from the lean mice modulates gut microbiota in obese mice

Michal Mikula,Kazimiera Pysniak,Marta Gajewska,Maria Kulecka,Filip Ambrozkiewicz,Agnieszka Paziewska,Jerzy Ostrowski,Michal Kopczynski,Natalia Zeber-Lubecka,Urszula Kuklinska

doi:10.1186/s12986-016-0116-8

Abstract

BackgroundTransplanting a fecal sample from lean, healthy donors to obese recipients has been shown to improve metabolic syndrome symptoms. We therefore examined the gut microbiota in mice after administering a long-term, high-fat diet (HFD) supplemented with feces from lean mice through the fecal-oral route.MethodsC57BL6/W mice were allowed to adapt to a non-specific pathogen free (SFP) environment for 2 weeks before being divided into three groups of 16 animals. Animals were fed for 28 weeks with a normal diet (ND), HFD or HFD supplemented with feces from ND-fed mice (HFDS). The composition of colonizing bacteria was evaluated in droppings collected under SPF conditions at the beginning of the study and at 12 and 28 weeks using an 16S Metagenomics Kit on Ion PGM sequencer.ResultsHFD and HFDS-fed mice attained (p < 0.05) greater body weights by weeks 6 and 5, respectively. HFDS-fed mice gained more weight than HFD-fed mice by week 25. Both species diversity and richness indices increased with time in HFDS mice only.ConclusionsProlonged HFD-fed mice supplementation with feces from lean mice altered bacteria species diversity and richness, accelerated the onset of obesity, and caused increased weight gain in the later weeks of the HFD regimen.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12986-016-0116-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

Transplanting a fecal sample from lean, healthy donors to obese recipients has been shown to improve metabolic syndrome symptoms
In contrast to previous reports indicating that obesityrelated changes of the gut microbiota take place at the phylum level [41], we found rather discrete obesityrelated alterations of the mouse microbiome
Our data demonstrate that, transferring feces from lean to high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice modified the composition of the gut microbiota, this was associated with weight gain instead of the expected weight reduction

Summary

Introduction

Transplanting a fecal sample from lean, healthy donors to obese recipients has been shown to improve metabolic syndrome symptoms. Obesity results from an imbalance between energy intake and energy utilization Obesity in both humans and animals is associated with decreased intestinal barrier function, gut inflammation and metabolic endotoxemia that can lead to systemic oxidative stress and chronic low-grade inflammation [1, 2]. The Bacteroides enterotype is most prevalent in animals exposed longterm to diets rich in protein and fat, while the Prevotella enterotype is most prevalent in animals exposed to diets rich in carbohydrates and deficient of protein [6] This parallels the microbiome composition observed in European children on a Western diet versus that seen in Kulecka et al Nutrition & Metabolism (2016) 13:57 children in Burkina Faso living on a high-carbohydrate, low protein diet [7]

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Discussion

Conclusion