with estrogen-like activities. Isoflavones and lignans have been categorized as phytoestrogens, based on their chemical structures and activities. Phytoestrogens have been explored in the field of metabolic degradation by intestinal bacteria. In particular, the biotransformation of plant lignans, such as secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), pinoresinol diglucoside (PDG), arctiin, and mataire...

The intestinal microflora of an adult person is a complex ecosystem, estimated to harbor about 400 different bacterial species. Anaerobic bacteria outnumber aerobic and facultative bacteria by a factor of 100 to 1000. The population level of each species is thought to be strictly regulated by the competition for nutrients and space. Thus, potential pathogens such as Escherichia coli and other e...

The precise mechanisms underlying the interaction between intestinal bacteria and the host epithelium lead to multiple consequences that remain poorly understood at the molecular level. Deciphering such events can provide valuable information as to the mode of action of commensal and probiotic microorganisms in the gastrointestinal environment. Potential roles of such microorganisms along the p...

Research on intestinal bacteria began around the end of the 19th century. During the last 5 decades of the 20th century, research on the intestinal microbiota made rapid progress. At first, in my work, I first developed a method of comprehensive analysis of the intestinal microbiota, and then I established classification and identification methods for intestinal anaerobes. Using these methods I...

The human gastrointestinal tract is colonised by trillions of commensal bacteria, most of which are obligate anaerobes residing in the large intestine. Appropriate bacterial colonisation is generally known to be critical for human health. In particular, the development and function of the immune system depends on microbial colonisation, and a regulated cross-talk between commensal bacteria, int...

Intestinal bacteria have been shown to be important in regulating host intermediary metabolism and contributing to obesity. However, relatively less is known about the effect of intestinal bacteria on the expression of hepatic drug-processing genes in the host. This study characterizes the expression of hepatic drug-processing genes in germ-free (GF) mice using RNA-Seq. Total RNA were isolated ...

BACKGROUND Recent studies of Giardia lamblia outbreaks have indicated that 40-80% of infected patients experience long-lasting functional gastrointestinal disorders after parasitic clearance. Our aim was to assess changes in the intestinal barrier and spatial distribution of commensal bacteria in the post-clearance phase of Giardia infection. METHODS Mice were orogastrically inoculated with G...

The gut microflora dysbiosis has been closely related with the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this study, the effect of polysaccharides from Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat on the gut microbiota was evaluated by ulcerative colitis (UC) rat model. Physiological and pathological analyses suggested that Chrysanthemum polysaccharides possessed notably protective effects on UC in vivo. Based on...

BACKGROUND & AIMS While enteric bacteria have been shown to play a critical role in other forms of intestinal damage, their role in mediating the response to the chemotherapeutic drug Doxorubicin (Doxo) is unclear. In this study, we used a mouse model of intestinal bacterial depletion to evaluate the role enteric bacteria play in mediating Doxo-induced small intestinal damage and, more specific...