Characterization of the Functional Changes in Mouse Gut Microbiome Associated with Increased Akkermansia muciniphila Population Modulated by Dietary Black Raspberries

ACS Omega. 2018 Sep 30;3(9):10927-10937. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.8b00064. Epub 2018 Sep 10.

Abstract

Gut microbiome plays an essential role in host health through host-gut microbiota metabolic interactions. Desirable modulation of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Akkermansia muciniphila, can confer health benefits by altering microbiome-related metabolic profiles. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a black raspberry-rich diet to reshape the gut microbiome by selectively boosting A. muciniphila population in C57BL/6J mice. Remarkable changes of the mouse gut microbiome were revealed at both compositional and functional levels with an expected increase of A. muciniphila in concert with a profound impact on multiple gut microbiome-related functions, including vitamin biosynthesis, aromatic amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and oxidative stress. These functional alterations in the gut microbiome by an easily accessed freeze-dried black raspberry-supplemented diet may provide novel insights on the improvement of human health via gut microbiome modulation.