Bioscience of microbiota, food and health最新文献

{"title":"Effect of tea catechins and lactic acid on <i>Lactiplantibacillus</i> species isolated from Japanese post-fermented teas: focusing on the bacterial selection process.","authors":"Masanori Horie, Hiroki Nishioka, Yuichiro Ikagawa, Sae Toda, Mone Nobeoka, Yuri Otsuka, Jiayi Li, Masataka Uchino, Hitoshi Iwahashi, Kazuhiro Nara","doi":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-049","DOIUrl":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-049","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> and <i>Lactiplantibacillus pentosus</i> are the commonly found dominant species in post-fermented Japanese tea. The dominant species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) depends on the production area, regardless of the production method. However, the selection mechanism of these bacteria remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the mechanism by which these LAB species are selected. We investigated the effects of pH and catechins on the growth of <i>L. plantarum</i> and <i>L. pentosus</i> isolated from two types of post-fermented Japanese teas. When the pH of the medium was adjusted with hydrochloric acid, the strains derived from Ishizuchi-kurocha grew at pH 4 to 10, whereas the strains derived from Awa-bancha grew at pH 3 to 10. In contrast, when the pH was adjusted using lactic acid, no growth was observed at pH 4. The pH of the fermented fluid of Ishizuchi-kurocha was approximately 4, suggesting that the growth of the LAB in Ishizuchi-kurocha was inhibited by the accumulation of lactic acid. Furthermore, when a mixture of green tea-derived catechins containing epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate was added to the culture medium at a concentration of 1.0 mg/mL, <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> growth was inhibited. However, the effect on <i>L. plantarum</i> or <i>L. pentosus</i> growth was negligible. Furthermore, when the catechins in the medium were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography after 24 hr incubation with LAB, the peak intensities of catechins, particularly catechin gallate, were decreased, and an unknown peak was observed. These results suggest that <i>L. plantarum</i> and <i>L. pentosus</i> metabolize catechins during tea leaf fermentation. During the fermentation of Ishizuchi-kurocha and Awa-bancha, at least, the catechins in them and decrease in pH due to mainly lactic acid accumulation are factors involved in LAB selection.</p>","PeriodicalId":93908,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience of microbiota, food and health","volume":"45 3","pages":"173-187"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13322773/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148371322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic effect of a naturally derived <i>Lactobacillus gasseri</i> and <i>Rumex hanus by.</i> extract on alleviating hyperuricemia in mice via uricolysis, gut microbiota modulation, and anti-inflammation.","authors":"Ying-Ying Sheng, Jia-Hui Lv, Liang-Liang Zhu, Meng-Yue Zhang, Ye Li, Shi-Qiao Xu, Da-Wei Yang, Ze-Xu Yu, Yi-Xuan Zhang","doi":"10.12938/bmfh.2026-029","DOIUrl":"10.12938/bmfh.2026-029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hyperuricemia (HUA) is widespread, and since conventional long-term treatments can be toxic, safer multi-target alternatives are required. Here, we tested a naturally derived synbiotic pairing of the uricolytic probiotic <i>Lactobacillus gasseri</i> SYP-B4432 with a polyphenol-rich <i>Rumex hanus by.</i> extract in a mouse model of hyperuricemia. In just five weeks of daily treatment, the combination reduced serum uric acid by 57.86%, suppressed serum xanthine oxidase activity by 14.31%, and restored the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio while lowering pro-inflammatory cytokines and attenuating renal histopathology. Importantly, no hepatic/renal impairment or body weight abnormalities were detected, confirming the safety of this intervention. Collectively, the probiotic-herbal duo alleviates HUA through the synergy of three modes of action: curtailing uric acid synthesis (via XOD inhibition), reshaping gut microbiota (to enhance UA excretion), and resolving renal inflammation (via cytokine modulation). This natural, safe, and multi-target synbiotic provides a clinically translatable strategy that may address the side effect limitations of conventional hyperuricemia drugs.</p>","PeriodicalId":93908,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience of microbiota, food and health","volume":"45 4","pages":"272-283"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668417/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149198331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of plasma and cecal quercetin in <i>Enterococcus</i> sp. rutin_18 mono-associated and germ-free mice fed rutin-supplemented diet.","authors":"Motoi Tamura, Ayumi Nakano, Hiroyuki Nakagawa, Kazuhiro Hirayama","doi":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-021","DOIUrl":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rutin is a functional compound with both antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. The hydrolysis of rutin glycosides by intestinal bacteria is important for rutin absorption. We isolated <i>Enterococcus</i> sp. rutin_18, an intestinal bacterium that can convert rutin to quercetin, and investigated the possibility of <i>Enterococcus</i> sp. rutin_18-mediated rutin conversion to quercetin <i>in vivo</i> using mono-associated mice. We compared the plasma and cecal quercetin levels in rutin-metabolizing <i>Enterococcus</i> sp. rutin_18 mono-associated (Entero) and germ-free (GF) mice fed a rutin-supplemented diet. The plasma quercetin, isorhamnetin, and tamarixetin concentrations were significantly higher in the Entero mice than in the GF mice. The cecal rutin concentration was significantly lower in the Entero mice than in the GF mice (p<0.001). We found that <i>Enterococcus</i> sp. rutin_18 converted rutin to quercetin in the Entero mice. We infer that the <i>Enterococcus</i> sp. rutin_18 used in this study is an important intestinal bacterium that converts rutin to quercetin.</p>","PeriodicalId":93908,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience of microbiota, food and health","volume":"45 1","pages":"51-57"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12765535/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145907234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Administration of bifidobacteria and dietary fiber improves cognitive function by increasing short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria and reducing inflammation.","authors":"Naoki Azuma, Natsumi Wada, Ryo Aoki, Masatoshi Sampei, Takashi Mawatari, Yasuo Saito","doi":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-026","DOIUrl":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Bifidobacterium animalis</i> subsp. <i>lactis</i> GCL2505 (GCL2505), commercially known as the \"BifiX\" strain in Japan, reaches the intestine alive, proliferates after a single intake, and is associated with several positive health effects. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial of this probiotic strain in combination with inulin (a prebiotic) reported an improvement of cognitive function in the elderly. In the present study, a follow-up analysis was performed to elucidate the underlying mechanism, using a multi-omics approach that integrated a high-throughput assay of blood inflammatory markers and metagenomic analysis of the fecal bacterial composition. After probiotic and prebiotic administration, short-chain fatty acid producers such as <i>Faecalibacterium</i> and <i>Bifidobacterium</i> were increased in the gut. Moreover, in the subgroup with greater improvement in cognitive function scores, the levels of inflammatory markers were decreased. Subgroup analysis revealed that the improvement of cognitive function was associated with a reduction of inflammation and an increase of <i>Faecalibacterium</i>. These results suggest that GCL2505 and inulin can improve cognitive function by alleviating inflammation via an increase of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, which appears to elevate levels of short-chain fatty acids, particularly acetate and butyrate, in the gut. The present results contribute to a deeper comprehension of the gut-brain axis and propose new avenues for potential therapeutic intervention in cognitive disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":93908,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience of microbiota, food and health","volume":"45 2","pages":"139-148"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13083149/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147725043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strain-specific protection of intestinal barrier by heat-treated plant-derived lactic acid bacteria via distinct tight junction modulation.","authors":"Yuji Tsujikawa, Junya Yamamoto, Iwao Sakane","doi":"10.12938/bmfh.2026-010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12938/bmfh.2026-010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intestinal barrier dysfunction is a key pathological factor in various chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease. This study compared the barrier-protective effects and mechanisms of two heat-treated plant-derived lactic acid bacteria (P-LAB) strains, <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> LOC1 isolated from tea leaves and <i>Lacticaseibacillus paracasei</i> RO24 isolated from traditional Japanese pickles, using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated intestinal epithelial cell models. Barrier integrity was evaluated in Caco-2 and HT29 cells by measuring transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and paracellular permeability to Lucifer Yellow, together with analyses of tight junction-related gene expression, inflammatory cytokines, and global proteomic profiling integrated with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. LPS exposure significantly impaired barrier function in both cell lines. Pretreatment with either strain significantly suppressed LPS-induced increases in paracellular permeability, whereas TEER recovery was strain- and cell-line-dependent. <i>L. plantarum</i> LOC1 effectively restored TEER in Caco-2 cells, while <i>L. paracasei</i> RO24 exerted significant protective effects primarily in HT29 cells. Mechanistic analyses revealed distinct modes of action between the two strains. <i>L. plantarum</i> LOC1 showed broad anti-inflammatory activity and maintained the expression of <i>JAM-A</i> and <i>occludin</i>, representing a comprehensive barrier-protective strategy. In contrast, <i>L. paracasei</i> RO24 selectively preserved <i>Claudin-1</i>, <i>Claudin-3</i>, and <i>Claudin-7</i>, indicating a structural reinforcement strategy. Proteomic and pathway analyses confirmed reactivation of tight junction signaling by both strains. These findings indicate that heat-treated P-LAB strains can exert strain-specific protective effects on intestinal epithelial barrier function under the present experimental conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":93908,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience of microbiota, food and health","volume":"45 4","pages":"254-263"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13659321/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149186364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>Bifidobacterium adolescentis</i> protects the intestinal barrier from obesity-related inflammatory stimuli in association with the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B.","authors":"Tatsuya Ibuki, Takahide Shigeyama, Moriya Tsukimoto, Yusuke Nagara, Mitsuhisa Kawai, Ryuta Yamazaki","doi":"10.12938/bmfh.2026-022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12938/bmfh.2026-022","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The intestinal barrier plays a crucial role in host metabolic and immune homeostasis; however, its integrity can be disrupted by factors such as lipopolysaccharides, inflammatory cytokines, and oxidative stress. Although <i>Bifidobacterium</i> species are considered beneficial members of the gut microbiota, their strain-specific effects on epithelial barrier integrity and the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. We investigated the protective effects of four heat-killed strains of bifidobacteria, <i>B. pseudocatenulatum</i> YIT 11057, <i>B. adolescentis</i> YIT 13021, <i>B. bifidum</i> YIT 10347, and <i>B. breve</i> YIT 4014, on intestinal barrier function using T84 monolayers, a widely used <i>in vitro</i> model of the intestinal epithelium that retains many colon-like properties. Among the tested strains, only <i>B. adolescentis</i> YIT 13021 (YIT 13021) consistently protected against barrier disruption induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), oxidative stress, and inflammatory cytokines, highlighting species-enriched but strain-dependent functional properties within <i>B. adolescentis</i>. YIT 13021 preserved tight junction integrity in association with preserved localization of zonula occludens-1 and attenuated stimulus-induced nuclear localization of nuclear factor-kappa B. Furthermore, live YIT 13021 exerted superior barrier-protective effects than its heat-killed counterpart, and its protective efficacy was further increased when cultured in the presence of starch, suggesting that metabolic activity and substrate availability influence functional outcomes. These findings demonstrate functional heterogeneity among <i>Bifidobacterium</i> strains, provide insights into potential mechanisms underlying microbiota-mediated modulation of epithelial integrity, and identify <i>B. adolescentis</i> YIT 13021 as a promising candidate for supporting intestinal barrier homeostasis.</p>","PeriodicalId":93908,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience of microbiota, food and health","volume":"45 4","pages":"264-271"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13659227/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predicting autism spectrum disorder through the gut microbiota composition using machine learning.","authors":"Dejun Li, Ziyu Huang, Ailing Wei, Kaixian Long, Yunxuan Su, Shiqin Wang, Xing Li","doi":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-018","DOIUrl":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The human gut microbiota plays a crucial role in overall health, impacting various diseases, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study explores the relationship between gut microbiota changes and ASD by analyzing microbial compositions and abundances of 692 gut microbiota samples using public 16S rRNA sequencing datasets. Data preprocessing included normalization and redundancy reduction, retaining 367 microbial features. A machine learning model was then developed to predict ASD, utilizing feature-selected random forest algorithms that showed superior performance in both training and independent test sets. Identified microbial features with high correlation to ASD included <i>Clostridiales bacterium VE202-08</i>, <i>Solobacterium moorei</i> gene, and other features. The findings suggest that modulating the gut microbiota composition could mitigate ASD risk or alleviate symptoms. These insights pave the way for novel ASD diagnostic methods through microbiota analysis, although further research is required to validate these possibilities. This study offers a new perspective on the etiology and progression of ASD and proposes potential predictive tools for its diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":93908,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience of microbiota, food and health","volume":"45 1","pages":"27-41"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12765537/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145907217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of probiotic <i>Limosilactobacillus reuteri</i> on a serum sex-hormone- and metabolic-syndrome-related health evaluation: a single-arm open-label pilot study.","authors":"Masafumi Noda, Narandalai Danshiitsoodol, Keishi Kanno, Sayaka Yonezawa, Ryoko Ishida, Masanori Sugiyama","doi":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-020","DOIUrl":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The oral administration of living <i>Limosilactobacillus reuteri</i> (formerly <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i>) ATCC PTA 6475 cells has been shown preliminarily to prevent obesity in diet-derived obese mice and to act to ameliorate the decline in serum testosterone in old male mice. Through a clinical trial comprising a single-arm open-label pilot study in which all subjects received the same intervention, the present study aimed to evaluate whether <i>L. reuteri</i> ATCC PTA 6475 cells can also ameliorate the decline in serum testosterone levels in senior citizens and explore how the strain changes the intestinal microbiota. The trial was conducted with 10 eligible subjects (aged 50-69) at Hiroshima University from January to April 2024. They were instructed to take two capsules that contained a total of 1.0 × 10¹⁰ living lyophilized cells of ATCC PTA 6475 strain every day. After the 12 weeks, although remarkable changes in sex hormones were not observed, significant decreases were observed in body fat percentage, blood pressure, and some inflammation-related parameters. In addition, analysis of the fecal microbiota indicated that intake of ATCC PTA 6475 cells significantly increased the relative abundance of the genera <i>Butyricimonas</i>, <i>Holdemania</i>, and <i>Odoribacter</i>, which have been reported to contribute to the amelioration of obesity phenotypes. In conclusion, although the present study was carried out as a pilot study with only 10 subjects, making a placebo-controlled study necessary in the future, it demonstrates the probiotic potential of the ATCC PTA 6475 strain.</p>","PeriodicalId":93908,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience of microbiota, food and health","volume":"45 1","pages":"42-50"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12765532/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145907235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Peptidoglycan from <i>Bifidobacterium bifidum</i> G9-1 induces IgA secretion in Peyer's patch-derived cells.","authors":"Hiroaki Konishi, Koji Yamamoto, Aki Sakatani, Tatsuya Dokoshi, Yutaka Makizaki, Yoshiki Tanaka, Hiroshi Ohno, Kentaro Moriichi, Mikihiro Fujiya","doi":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-040","DOIUrl":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Immunoglobulin A (IgA) plays a key role in mucosal immunity. We investigated the IgA-inducing capacity of heat-killed <i>Bifidobacterium bifidum</i> G9-1 (BBG9-1) using Peyer's patch (PP)-derived cells. Heat-killed BBG9-1, but not its culture supernatant, significantly enhanced IgA secretion and cell aggregation. Compared with other Gram-positive bacteria, BBG9-1 showed a stronger IgA-inducing effect. Component analysis revealed that peptidoglycan (PG), but not lipoteichoic acid (LTA), isolated from BBG9-1 significantly stimulated IgA secretion. These findings suggest that PG from BBG9-1 is a key factor in IgA induction, supporting its potential application in modulating mucosal immune responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":93908,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience of microbiota, food and health","volume":"45 1","pages":"79-83"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12765531/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145907283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urinary indoxyl sulfate in children: age-related decline and its association with Bacteroidota in the gut microbiota.","authors":"Yuko Akagawa, Shohei Akagawa, Shoji Tsuji, Tomoki Kitawaki, Ayaka Ito, Mamoru Nakanishi, Takahiko Okada, Sohsaku Yamanouchi, Kazunari Kaneko","doi":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-107","DOIUrl":"10.12938/bmfh.2025-107","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Urinary indoxyl sulfate (IS), a gut microbiota-derived uremic toxin, is associated with the adult gut microbiota and is elevated in children with autism spectrum disorder. However, its age-related trajectory and association with microbiota in healthy children remain uncharacterized. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate age-related changes in urinary IS in healthy children and to investigate the potential utility of urinary IS as a surrogate marker for their gut microbiota. We measured urinary IS/creatinine (Cr) ratios and analyzed the fecal gut microbiota composition (16S rRNA gene sequencing) in 102 healthy Japanese children aged 5 months to 12 years. Associations were assessed using Spearman's correlation. An empirical age-adjustment model (inverse proportional) was developed to derive an age-adjusted IS/Cr ratio (actual/predicted), thereby removing the strong age dependence before re-evaluating correlations with gut microbiota. The unadjusted IS/Cr ratio showed a strong negative correlation with age (rs=-0.47, p<0.001) and declined markedly during early childhood, stabilizing at approximately 5 years. Weak correlations with microbiota metrics were observed before adjustment; however, the age-adjusted IS/Cr ratio showed no correlation with age (rs=-0.03, p=0.768). Notably, age adjustment revealed significant positive correlations between the IS/Cr ratio and the phylum Bacteroidota (rs=0.26, p=0.008) and strengthened the correlation with the genus <i>Bacteroides</i> (rs=0.31, p=0.002), associations that were not apparent before adjustment. Correcting for this age-dependent variation is crucial, after which the IS/Cr ratio can serve as a potential non-invasive surrogate marker reflecting the abundance of Bacteroidota, particularly the genus <i>Bacteroides</i>, in the pediatric gut microbiota.</p>","PeriodicalId":93908,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience of microbiota, food and health","volume":"45 3","pages":"197-203"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13322761/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148371260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}