Characterization of the intestinal microbiome and its effects on duodenal brush border membrane functionality (tissue related functional proteins) and morphology in response to dietary phytochemicals and prebiotics.
The study of the totality of the microbes living on or in us (termed the microbiome or microbiota) is a relatively new and rapidly expanding field of scientific inquiry and research. The scientific community is just beginning to understand how and why these microbes affect our health, and, in turn, how our health shapes their composition within us. We are primarily interested in the observed differences of the resident gut microflora between Zn deficient and Zn replete subjects. Using next generation sequencing techniques, we can glean information about potential relationships between certain families of microbes and Zn utilization within the host; information which may ultimately constitute a new and reactive biomarker of Zn deficiency.Prebiotics are usually non-digestible carbohydrates/ fibers of varying length and complexity that serve as raw material for gut bacteria and other microbes to utilize for energy. The fermentation of these substances, in turn, yield beneficial effects such as increasing production of short chain fatty acids, decreasing pro-inflammatory immune factors, and increasing the uptake of mincronutrients. We are interested in learning more about these effects in regards to how they may modulate mineral absorption and bioavailability in vivo.