Shiqi Zhang, Chris Zhu
Dr. Shiqi Zhang and Dr. Chris Zhu
The gut has been studied for years, however, research on it has been limited due to the difficulty of replicating the human digestive tract as well as the ethical concerns surrounding human trials.
But, recently, a newly-improved model developed at The Ohio State University has successfully replicated the human digestive system, allowing researchers to better study how the gut microbiome behaves and the impact it has on overall health.
Dr. Chris Zhu’s lab, a metabolomic-based research group at OSU, created the replica known as the Human Colonic Model.
After helping develop the model in the Zhu lab, Dr. Shiqi Zhang used it to study how the gut reacts to compounds in fruits and vegetables and how those interactions can be applied to disease treatment and nutrition programs.
Human Colonic Model
About 10 years ago, the Zhu lab created a hand-built model of the digestive tract using glass, vessels, pumps and heating components.
The system was divided into three sections to mimic the ascending human colon, creating the Human Colonic Model.
The model allows the researchers to control variables such as temperature, pH and nutrient inputs.
Unlike traditional single-batch fermentation research methods, the Human Colonic Models allows for long term and dynamic monitoring of a gut environment.
This model can also regularly collect samples to measure microbial compositions and metabolic functions over time.
Roughly three years ago, the lab received funding from the National Institute of Health to develop a second-generation of the Human Colonic Model. This version has more repairable and replaceable parts, making it easier to maintain.
The second-generation model also allows them to run two experiments at a time, allowing for a control and treatment group.
“This lab environment can allow us to evaluate and investigate a variety of nutrition or even environment contaminants, drug components and the interaction with the human gut microbes,” says Zhu.
Inside the gut
Using the model and working alongside the lab team, Zhang discovered that foods rich in polyphenols – a chemical compound in plants – interact with the microbes in the gut.
Polyphenols, commonly found in colorful fruits and vegetables, help keep plants healthy by protecting them from diseases and aiding in their absorption of sunlight.
Zhang’s research suggests that polyphenols can have similar effects on humans.
She ran two interventions, one with green tea and one with black raspberries.
“We applied the two interventions to the system and found these two polyphenol rich interventions had the ability to shape the gut microbiome, modify the metabolites produced by the gut bacteria and eventually would be beneficial for human health,” says Zhang.
The interactions between polyphenols and the microbes increase the number of health-related metabolites, which are linked to improved gut health, reduced inflammation and lowered risks of chronic metabolic diseases.
Digesting the results
Maya Stepnick
The Human Colonic Model and Zhang’s research both contribute to a better understanding of the gut microbiome and how different inputs affect it.
Zhang’s findings are a step toward developing new therapeutic options for disease prevention and treatment.
“The research is the starting point of everything,” says Zhang. “Eventually we want to see if what we found can establish some dietary guidelines or have disease treatment and disease prevention.”
Although fruits, vegetables and green tea are rich in polyphenols, there are limits to how much you can consume.
“For example, drinking green tea, you can only drink so much. You cannot drink like 10 or 20 cups a day,” says Zhu. “So, our goal is to try to identify and potentially, down the road in the future, isolate some of those bio-active components and make them more theopoetical.”
Maya Stepnick
With continued research, the goal is to isolate the polyphenols and use them in more targeted ways to help treat diseases. This research could also influence nutritional guidelines.
Additionally, learning more about how everyone’s body responds to polyphenols and other inputs could lead to more personalized nutrition guidelines.
“I think the whole point would be utilizing our system, the Human Colonic Model, and conducting research that can eventually help the public understand the interaction between what we eat and what the gut microbiome can do,” says Zhang.
Korrigan Craddock is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
