Investigating the modulation effects of polyphenols on cancer gut microbiome and metabolome

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Date

2021-04

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Research Projects

Organizational Units

Journal Issue

Abstract

The gut microbiome affects many aspects of human health including response to cancer treatments. Recent work has demonstrated that certain gut bacteria modulate response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), and, in mice, response to ICIs can be increased by increasing the abundance of probiotics. Diet-based interventions hold promise for translating microbiome modification into a clinical setting; however, progress has unfortunately been slowed by a lack of evidence regarding the ways in which specific food products can affect microbes, particularly in complex communities such as the gut. Increasing the abundance of probiotics thus represents a promising approach to modulate the likelihood of response to ICIs in humans. As such, it is important to maintain a healthy gut microbiota and correct any dysbiosis as it serves important functions in maintaining the gut barrier's structural integrity, and enhance responses to certain cancer treatments. As reported elsewhere, the density of probiotics can be influenced by dietary interventions such as fruits rich in polyphenols. The objective of the project focuses on the use of a novel in vitro human colonic model to simulate a colon environment without interference from the host, to study the interaction between gut microbe and polyphenol-rich black raspberry (BRB) extract and characterization of its metabolites. This will provide insights on how dysbiosis in cancer patients might be corrected using food interventions and the roles played by the associated phenolic compounds. Additional metagenomic analysis that is currently underway will provide more information on how the proportion of gut microbes respond to BRB supplementation.

Description

Understanding Health Outcomes (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)

Keywords

polyphenol, cancer, gut microbiome, black raspberry, dysbiosis

Citation