Targeting the gut microbiome to prevent human diseases associated with obesity and poor metabolic health

As part of another project, we are planning a placebo-controlled trial of resveratrol in healthy volunteers to investigate its effects on cholesterol/ketone metabolism after a high-fat challenge meal. In the proposed project we will exploit this trial infrastructure and include collection of faecal samples and blood pre-, during and post- two weeks of resveratrol/placebo intervention to investigate effects on the microbiome, as well as the resveratrol human/bacterial metabolite profile.

The balance between major bacterial phyla will be measured using established qPCR assays. Results will then inform additional phylum level analyses and selected microbiome analyses by 16S sequencing on the MiSeq platform. Short chain fatty acids, which can have diverse effects on the host, including regulation of energy metabolism, will also be profiled in faeces9. Tom Yates has recently completed a similar trial investigating the effect of exercise on the microbiome, of obese men The student will also develop an LC-MS/MS assay for simultaneous quantitation of human and bacterial resveratrol metabolites by modification of our existing validated method10.