ANTHOCYANIN (ACN)-RICH FUNCTIONAL FOODS ARE THOUGHT TO SUPPRESS GUT INFLAMMATION AND MAY REDUCE RISK OF COLITIS-ASSOCIATED COLORECTAL CANCER VIA DIRECT ACTION AT THE GUT EPITHELIUM OR VIA MODULATION OF THE GUT MICROBIOME. HOWEVER, PRE-CLINICAL STUDIES INVESTIGATING THESE ACNS ARE TYPICALLY IDEALIZED IN THEIR DESIGN, EMPLOYING LONG-TERM, CONSISTENT DIETARY EXPOSURES AND RARELY CONSIDERING DYNAMIC SHIFTS IN THE GUT MICROBIOME. THUS, THERE REMAINS A CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP REGARDING THE DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF THE GUT MICROBIOME TO DIETARY INTERVENTIONS WITH ACN-RICH FOODS WITH EXPERIMENT DESIGNS THAT MORE APPROPRIATELY EMULATE COMMON WAYS IN WHICH HUMANS CONSUME THESE FOOD ITEMS. IN THIS SEED GRANT PROPOSAL, OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS TO MAP THE DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF THE MOUSE GUT MICROBIOME TO VARYING-LENGTH DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION WITH FUNCTIONAL FOODS WITH DIVERSE ACN PROFILES. OUR EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH WILL ADDRESS THESE IMPORTANT RESEARCH QUESTIONS: 1) HOW QUICKLY WILL THE GUT MICROBIOME RESPOND TO DIETARY INTERVENTION WITH ACN-RICH FOODS AS DEFINED BY A SHIFT IN RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF SPECIFIC TAXA OR CHANGES IN A- OR B-DIVERSITY? 2) HOW LONG WILL SHIFTS IN MICROBIOME COMPOSITION PERSIST AFTER CONSUMPTION OF THE ACN-RICH FOOD CEASES? 3) IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE DOMINANT ACNS IN THESE FOODS DETER­MINATIVE OF SHIFTS IN MICROBIOME COMPOSITION? SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS SEED PROJECT WILL GENERATE ROBUST DATA IN SUPPORT OF OUR PLANNED AFRI STANDARD PROPOSAL TO COMPARE THE EFFICACY OF VARIED DIETARY INTERVENTION STRATEGIES (CONSISTENT, VARYING BY SOURCE, OR VARYING BY DURATION) WITH INDIVIDUAL OR MIXTURES OF ACN-RICH FOODS IN BOTH MOUSE AND HUMAN DISEASE MODELS.

Utah State University, Logan UT

Investigators