Disruption of intestinal oxygen balance in acute colitis alters the gut microbiome
Wenjing Zong,
Elliot S. Friedman,
Srinivasa Rao Allu,
Jenni Firrman,
Vincent Tu,
Scott G. Daniel,
Kyle Bittinger,
LinShu Liu,
Sergei A. Vinogradov,
Gary D. Wu
Affiliations
Wenjing Zong
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA ,USA
Elliot S. Friedman
Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Srinivasa Rao Allu
Department of Chemistry, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Jenni Firrman
Dairy and Functional Foods Research Unit, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Wyndmoor, PA, USA
Vincent Tu
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA ,USA
Scott G. Daniel
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA ,USA
Kyle Bittinger
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA ,USA
LinShu Liu
Dairy and Functional Foods Research Unit, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Wyndmoor, PA, USA
Sergei A. Vinogradov
Department of Chemistry, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Gary D. Wu
Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
The juxtaposition of well-oxygenated intestinal colonic tissue with an anerobic luminal environment supports a fundamentally important relationship that is altered in the setting of intestinal injury, a process likely to be relevant to diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. Herein, using two-color phosphorometry to non-invasively quantify both intestinal tissue and luminal oxygenation in real time, we show that intestinal injury induced by DSS colitis reduces intestinal tissue oxygenation in a spatially defined manner and increases the flux of oxygen from the tissue into the gut lumen. By characterizing the composition of the microbiome in both DSS colitis-affected gut and in a bioreactor containing a stable human fecal community exposed to microaerobic conditions, we provide evidence that the increased flux of oxygen into the gut lumen augments glycan degrading bacterial taxa rich in glycoside hydrolases which are known to inhabit gut mucosal surface. Continued disruption of the intestinal mucus barrier through such a mechanism may play a role in the perpetuation of the intestinal inflammatory process.
