Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center » Microbiome and Metabolism Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #420984
Research Project: Impact of Maternal Influence and Early Dietary Factors on Child Growth, Development, and Metabolic Health

Location: Microbiome and Metabolism Research

Title: Dietary prevention of antibiotic-induced dysbiosis and mortality upon aging in mice

Author
item SMITH, KELSEY - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item FRANCISCO, SARAH - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item ZHU, YING - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item LEROITH, TANYA - Virginia Tech
item DAVIS, MEREDITH - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item CROTT, JIMMY - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item BARGER, KATHRYN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item GREENBERG, ANDREW - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item SMITH, DONALD - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item TAYLOR, ALLEN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item Yeruva, Laxmi
item SHLEDON, ROWAN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/27/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Oral antibiotic use leads to a loss of diversity of the gut microbiome and is associated with increased risk for age-related disease. We used a mouse model to study whether different kinds of diets would impact the effects of oral antibiotics on the gut microbiome and health in older mice. We found that antibiotic usage coupled with a high glycemic diet caused severe disruption of the gut microbiome, gastrointestinal disease, and sudden death. In contrast, mice fed a low glycemic index diet had less disruption to the gut microbiome and a regular lifespan. We also identified specific gut bacteria and pathways that may have protected mice from the negative effects of antibiotics.

Technical Abstract: Oral antibiotic use is both widespread and frequent in older adults and has been linked to dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, enteric infection, and chronic diseases. Diet and nutrients, particularly prebiotics, may modify the susceptibility of the gut microbiome to antibiotic-induced dysbiosis. We fed 12-month-old mice a high glycemic (HG) or low glycemic (LG) diet with or without antibiotics (ampicillin and neomycin) for an additional 11 months. The glycemic index was modulated by the ratio of rapidly-digested amylopectin starch to slowly-digested amylose, a type-2 resistant starch. We observed a significant decrease in survival of mice fed a HG diet containing antibiotics (HGAbx) relative to those fed a LG diet containing antibiotics (LGAbx). HGAbx mice died with an enlarged and hemorrhagic cecum, which associated with colonic hyperplasia and goblet cell depletion. Gut microbiome analysis revealed a pronounced expansion of Proteobacteria and a near-complete loss of Bacteroidota and Firmicutes commensal bacteria in HGAbx, whereas the LGAbx group maintained a population of Bacteroides and more closely resembled the LG microbiome. The predicted functional capacity for bile salt hydrolase activity was lost in HGAbx mice but retained in LGAbx mice. An LG diet containing amylose may therefore be a potential therapeutic to prevent antibiotic-induced dysbiosis and morbidity.