Role of intestinal microbiota in the formation of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

The study of abdominal and parietal enteric microbiota in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Aim. To characterize of the features of changes in the cavity and parietal microbiota of the small intestine in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Materials and methods. Fifty four patients with NAFLD at the stage of steatosis and steatohepatitis at the age of 1860 years were examined. The diagnosis was verified by ultrasound of the hepatobiliary system using a SONIX OP analyzer (Canada), FibroMax test data and liver elastography using an AIXPLORER apparatus (France). The degree of steatohepatitis activity was determined by biochemical blood tests for alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase on a Huma Star 600 analyzer (Germany). The cavity microbiota of the small intestine was evaluated using a Lactofan2 analyzer of the Association of Medicine and Analytics company (Russia) using hydrogen breath tests with lactulose. The parietal microbiota of the small intestine was examined using an Agilent 7890 gas chromatograph with mass-selective and plasma-ionization detectors (Agilent Technologies, USA). Results. In the study of cavity enteric microbiota in patients with NAFLD, the syndrome of excessive bacterial growth was detected in 68.5% of cases, while it was caused in 48.6% of patients by a violation of the function of the ileocecal valve, in 21.7% by a deficiency of cleavage of lactulose microorganisms and/or slowing down the motility of the digestive tract. When studying the parietal enteral microbiota, the total bacterial load in patients with NAFLD was significantly lower compared with the control group due to a decrease in useful microbiota. At the same time, a decrease in all normal bacterial representatives Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Lactococcus, Eubacterium and Propionibacterium was noted. The content of opportunistic microbiota in patients with NAFLD did not reveal significant changes. Conclusion. The syndrome of excessive bacterial growth in patients with NAFLD is associated with a decrease in useful parietal enteral microbiota.

Nutrition and immune system: from the Mediterranean diet to dietary supplementary through the microbiota

The interaction between nutrition and the immune system is very complex. In particular, at every stage of the immune response, specific micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals play a key role and often synergistic, and the deficiency of only one essential nutrient may impair immunity. An individual's overall nutrition status and pattern of dietary intake (comprised of nutrients and non-nutritive bioactive compounds and food) and any supplementation with nutraceuticals including vitamins and minerals, can influence positively or negatively the function of the immune system. This influence can occur at various levels from the innate immune system and adaptive immune system to the microbiome. Although there are conflicting evidence, the current results point out that dietary supplementation with some nutrients such as vitamin D and zinc may modulate immune function. An update on the complex relationship between nutrition, diet, and the immune system through gut microbiota is the aim of this current review. Indeed, we will provide the overview of the link among immune function, nutrition and gut microbiota, paying particular attention at the effect of the Mediterranean diet on the immune system, and finally we will speculate the possible role of the main one functional supplements on immune function.