Expanding Health Effects by Targeting the Gut Microbiome

Feeding individuals, from early to late age, does not stop with human physiology. In the last 10 years, the functional food space has actively investigated and addressed an additional venue of impacting health through food: the gut microbiome. Aurélien Baudot, CEO & co-founder of Cryptobiotix, explains more.

Gut microbiome?

Trillions of bacteria are at work in the human body, to metabolise components in food that do not get absorbed in the small intestine. This ecosystem, composed of hundreds of types of bacteria, is a carefully tuned network, specific to each individual. The microbiome is involved in many health-related conditions, and we have only scraped the surface so far. With increasing interest from the consumer market, integrating functional food ingredients in nutrition can provide another way to valorise food products.

Bottlenecks in research

Why do products not commonly consider the gut microbiome? The microbiome field is rather recent and traditional research methodologies have failed to predict in the laboratory what ingredients actually do to the human body and gut health in real life. This led to many failed gut microbiome initiatives at clinical trial stage. This lack of translation between bench and bedside is commonly referred to as the “Valley of Death” in gut microbiome research.

Generating trustworthy data & exploring potential health benefits

In 2021, Cryptobiotix developed the SIFR® technology – Systemic Intestinal Fermentation Research –, combining clinical validation, throughput, and cost-efficiency. The ability to generate trustworthy data during preclinical product development, either at early stage – through screening of hundreds of conditions – or at later stage through in-depth characterisation, drastically reduces the risk of clinical failure. It also helps generating lead candidates for novel target groups and applications in various health-promoting directions: gut, brain, cardiometabolic, immunity, musculoskeletal. Increase your product development success rate and consolidate your functional health pipeline for the years to come.

Predicting effect on immunity and gut barrier

In a recent SIFR® study, serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin (SBI) has shown potential health benefits via gut microbiome modulation. The present study, using again the predictive ex vivo SIFR® technology, expanded upon this observation and explored the health benefits of SBI. Conducted with 24 adults, the study found that SBI significantly enhanced gut barrier integrity and reduced inflammatory markers TNF-α and CXCL10. While the reference prebiotic inulin demonstrated similar effects only on gut barrier integrity, dietary protein was less effective, highlighting the unique benefits of SBI. The observed impact of SBI on gut barrier integrity and immunity mirrors the results of a clinical trial performed on SBI.

The large sample size (n = 24) allowed for stratification based on microbiome composition. Inulin specifically stimulated Bifidobacteriaceae in subjects with a Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes enterotype, resulting in lower gas production and increased acetate, indicating improved tolerability compared to subjects with a Prevotella enterotype.

Overall, this study underscores the role of the gut microbiome in mediating SBI-induced health benefits, including gut barrier integrity and immunity. Additionally, the SIFR® technology demonstrated its predictive value in stratifying treatment responses, which can aid in designing clinical trials and identifying individuals who may benefit from specific treatments.

 

More recent studies from Cryptobiotix: