Microbiota profiling in aging-associated inflammation and liver degeneration
- Autor(en)
- Anja Baumann, Angelica Hernandez-Arriaga, Annette Brandt, Victor Sánchez, Anika Nier, Finn Jung, Richard Kehm, Annika Hoehn, Tilman Grune, Christiane Frahm, Otto Wilhelm Witte, Amelia Camarinha-Silva, Ina Bergheim
- Abstrakt
Background: The number of people above the age of 60 years is raising world-wide being associated with an increase in the prevalence of aging-associated impairments and even diseases. Recent studies suggest that aging is associated with alterations in bacterial endotoxin levels and that these changes may add to low-grade inflammation, the so-called 'inflammaging', and aging-associated liver degeneration. However, mechanisms involved, and especially, the interaction of intestinal microbiota and barrier in the development of aging-associated inflammation and liver degeneration have not been fully understood.
Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine if intestinal microbiota composition changes with age and if these alterations are associated with changes of markers of intestinal barrier function and the development of inflammation and liver degeneration.
Methods: Blood, liver, small and large intestinal tissue of male 2-, 15-, 24- and 30-months old C57BL/6 mice fed standard chow were obtained. Intestinal microbiota composition, expression levels of antimicrobial peptides in small intestine and markers of intestinal barrier function were measured. Furthermore, indices of liver damage, inflammation and expression levels of lipopolysaccharide binding protein (Lbp) as well as of toll-like receptors (Tlr) 1-9 in liver tissue were assessed.
Results: Pairwise comparisons of the microbial community in the small intestine showed differences between 2- and 24-, 15- and 24-, as well as 15- and 30-months old animals while Shannon's diversity, species richness and evenness indexes did not differ in both small and large intestine, respectively, between age groups. Concentrations of nitric oxide were significantly lower in small intestine of 15-, 24- and 30-months old mice compared to 2-months old mice while mRNA expression of the antimicrobial peptides defensin alpha 1 and lysozyme 1 was unchanged. In contrast, in liver tissue, older age of animals was associated with increasing inflammation and the development of fibrosis in 24- and 30-months old mice. Numbers of inflammatory foci and neutrophils in livers of 24- and 30-months old mice were significantly higher compared to 2-months old mice. These alterations were also associated with higher endotoxin levels in plasma as well as an increased mRNA expression of Lbp and Tlr1, Tlr2, Tlr4, Tlr6 and Tlr9 in livers in older mice.
Conclusion: Despite no consistent and robust changes of microbiota composition in small and/or large intestine of mice of different age were observed, our data suggest that alterations of markers of intestinal barrier function in small intestine are associated with an induction of several Tlrs and beginning hepatic inflammation in older mice and increase with age.
- Organisation(en)
- Department für Ernährungswissenschaften, Institut für Physiologische Chemie
- Externe Organisation(en)
- Universität Hohenheim, Deutsches Institut für Ernährungsforschung Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE), Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung, Universitätsklinikum Jena
- Journal
- International Journal of Medical Microbiology
- Band
- 311
- Anzahl der Seiten
- 11
- ISSN
- 1438-4221
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmm.2021.151500
- Publikationsdatum
- 05-2021
- Peer-reviewed
- Ja
- ÖFOS 2012
- 301109 Pathophysiologie, 301305 Medizinische Chemie, 301303 Medizinische Biochemie, 106022 Mikrobiologie
- Schlagwörter
- ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
- Microbiology (medical), Infectious Diseases, Microbiology
- Link zum Portal
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/de/publications/microbiota-profiling-in-agingassociated-inflammation-and-liver-degeneration(b1fe9b0f-4181-435c-ac73-708456dd45be).html