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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Symbioses
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1507396

Age and Diet Affect Self-Resilience of Intestinal Microbiome in Mice

Provisionally accepted
Chenyi Shao Chenyi Shao 1Shenmin Chen Shenmin Chen 2*Huan Yang Huan Yang 1Mufan Li Mufan Li 1*Yinhui Liu Yinhui Liu 1Shu Wen Shu Wen 1*Jing Xiao Jing Xiao 1*Li Tang Li Tang 1*
  • 1 Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
  • 2 Tianjin Children's Hospital, Tianjin, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Gut microbiota contributes to human health. Little is known about the self-resilience of the gut microbiota after dysbiosis. This study aimed to investigate the self-resilience of the gut microbiome at different ages and the effects of diet on its recovery capacity in adulthood. A rodent model of antibiotic-induced dysbiosis was used. Microscopy was used to observe morphological changes in the mucosa. In addition, 16S rRNA sequencing and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis were performed to identify the bacterial taxa and microbiome structure, respectively. The diversity of the gut microbiota in infant mice was recovered by the sixth week, while relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae_UCG_014 was low and did not return to normal levels. Gut microbiota in young adult mice recovered in the fourth week. Prevotellaceae and Alloprevotella were significantly higher in the high-fat-diet group than those in the control group.The elderly mice had three, two, four, and seven statistically different genera between the dysbiosis and control groups at weeks 6, 8, 10, and 12, respectively. Intestinal epithelial structure and cecum index are restored with microbiota repaired. The gut microbiota in infant and adult mice is more capable of self-resilience, the composition of the microbiota and mucosal morphology of the intestine can be largely restored. Adding protein and fat to the diet accelerated colony recovery in young adult mice in the short term. In elderly mice, the resilience of the gut microbiota was reduced, and the occurrence of dysbiosis at this stage may accelerate organismal aging and affect the lifespan.A limitation of this study is that all data were derived from mice. Therefore, we must be cautious about translating the microbiome results from mice to humans.

    Keywords: Gut Microbiota, antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, Self-resilience, age, Lifespan, dietary

    Received: 07 Oct 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Shao, Chen, Yang, Li, Liu, Wen, Xiao and Tang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Shenmin Chen, Tianjin Children's Hospital, Tianjin, China
    Mufan Li, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
    Shu Wen, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
    Jing Xiao, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
    Li Tang, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.