Browsing by Author "Seabra, Catarina Leal"
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- Commensal obligate anaerobic bacteria and health: production, storage, and delivery strategiesPublication . Andrade, José Carlos; Almeida, Diana; Domingos, Melany; Seabra, Catarina Leal; Machado, Daniela; Freitas, Ana Cristina; Gomes, Ana MariaIn the last years several human commensals have emerged from the gut microbiota studies as potential probiotics or therapeutic agents. Strains of human gut inhabitants such as Akkermansia, Bacteroides, or Faecalibacterium have shown several interesting bioactivities and are thus currently being considered as food supplements or as live biotherapeutics, as is already the case with other human commensals such as bifidobacteria. The large-scale use of these bacteria will pose many challenges and drawbacks mainly because they are quite sensitive to oxygen and/or very difficult to cultivate. This review highlights the properties of some of the most promising human commensals bacteria and summarizes the most up-to-date knowledge on their potential health effects. A comprehensive outlook on the potential strategies currently employed and/or available to produce, stabilize, and deliver these microorganisms is also presented.
- Effect of emulsification/internal gelation-based microencapsulation on the viability of akkermansia muciniphila upon prolonged storage and simulated gastrointestinal passagePublication . Almeida, Diana; Machado, Daniela; Sousa, Sérgio; Seabra, Catarina Leal; Barbosa, Joana Cristina; Andrade, José Carlos; Gomes, Ana Maria; Freitas, Ana CristinaAkkermansia muciniphila is a common human intestinal commensal with a mucin-degrading nature. Its immunomodulatory characteristics and regulatory role of mucus layer and gut barrier integrity highlight the potential benefits of using this bacterium as an interventional player against inflammatory/cardio-metabolic disorders.In this work, we evaluate the effect of microencapsulation by the emulsification/internal gelation method onA. muciniphila survival during aerobic storage (0, 15, 30 and 95 days) and subsequent exposure to simulatedgastrointestinal passage, in comparison with that of free cells. The present results show that microencapsulation by internal gelation promotes a 64.4 % entrapment efficacy of A. muciniphila cells (maintaining a 108 orderof magnitude for cell viability). Moreover, physical characterization showed that microparticles mean size was53,5 ± 12,1 μm and, as observed by electron scanning microscopy, microcapsules were spherical in shape. Moreimportantly, as storage time increased, encapsulated A. muciniphila demonstrated higher stability in GI conditions, when compared to its free counterpart. In conclusion, microencapsulation by internal gelation seems tobe an appropriate strategy in protecting A. muciniphila against the detrimental gastrointestinal transit after longperiods of aerobic refrigerated storage.
- Nanoprobiotics: when technology meets gut healthPublication . Machado, Daniela; Almeida, Diana; Seabra, Catarina Leal; Andrade, José Carlos; Gomes, Ana Maria; Freitas, Ana CristinaNanotechnology is a fast-rising industry not defined by a single field of research, but as the convergence of disciplines, such as chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, and engineering, which exploits the benefits of nanoscale dimensions and characteristics for application in the macroworld. Current applications vary widely from nanorobotic industry to simple household items. However, the combination of such phenomena with probiotic science, another emerging and potentially promising area for the prevention and treatment of several human gastrointestinal and extraintestinal disorders using beneficial microorganisms, gives birth to “nanoprobiotics,” a field that focuses on the application of nanoscience into the probiotic-related world. In this chapter, we will navigate through the basic nanotech and probiotic knowledge and the current technologies employed with success for probiotic delivery and, ultimately, discuss what possibilities lie ahead in the nanoprobiotic future.