We revisit some theoretical models dealing with the chemical emergence of life-like properties in prebiotic systems. Special emphasis is given to models involving random assemblies of mutually catalytic organic molecules, as opposed to scenarios in which individual molecular species are endowed with the capacity of self-replication. We highlight here the challenge of tracing the very first step...

Prediabetes is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation that increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). An elevated lipopolysaccharide concentration, associated with dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota, has been implicated in the development of both T2D and CVD. Selective modulation of the intestinal microbiota with prebiotics reduces inte...

Artificial chemistries can be used to explore the generic properties of chemical reaction networks. In order to simulate for instance scenarios of prebiotic evolution the model must be close enough to real chemistry to allow at least semi-quantitative comparisons. One example is a previously described Toy Model that represents molecules as graphs, thereby neglecting 3D space, and employs a high...

AIM Qat chewing has been reported to induce subgingival microbial shifts suggestive of prebiotic-like properties. The objective here was to assess the effect of qat chewing on a panel of classical and new putative periopathogens in health and periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS 40 qat chewers and 40 nonchewers, equally stratified by periodontal health status, were recruited. Taqman, real-tim...

Systems Biology constitutes tools and approaches aimed at deciphering complex biological entities. It is assumed that such complexity arose gradually, beginning from a few relatively simple molecules at life’s inception, and culminating with the emergence of composite multicellular organisms billions of years later. The main point of the present paper is that very early in the evolution of life...

A concise outlook on the potential role of confinement in phosphorylation and phosphate condensation pertaining to prebiotic chemistry is presented. Inorganic confinement is a relatively uncharted domain in studies concerning prebiotic chemistry, and even more so in terms of experimentation. However, molecular crowding within confined dimensions is central to the functioning of contemporary bio...

background: necrotizing enterocolitis (nec) is one of the most destructive diseases associated with conditions of neonatal prematurity. supplementation with enteral prebiotics may reduce the incidence of nec, especially in infants who fed exclusively with breast-milk. therefore, we compared the efficacy and safety of enteral supplementation of a prebiotic mixture (short chain galacto-oligosacch...

A prebiotic origin of metabolism has been proposed as one of several scenarios for the origin of life. In their recent work, Ralser and colleagues (Keller et al, 2014) observe an enzyme-free, metabolism-like reaction network under conditions reproducing a possible prebiotic environment.

Synbiotics (prebiotic & probiotic) are used to stimulate the proper composition of the intestinal microflora in farm animals. One of the desired properties of synbiotics is connected with the immunostimulatory potential that allows for maturation of the immune system and regulation of its functions. This study aimed at selecting synbiotics with the most pronounced immunostimulatory properties, ...

This study evaluated the use of a bile-salt-hydrolyzing Lactobacillus fermentum strain as a probiotic with potential hypocholesterolemic properties. The effect of L. fermentum on representative microbial populations and overall metabolic activity of the human intestinal microbiota was investigated using a three-stage continuous culture system. Also, the use of galactooligosaccharides as a prebi...