Honors College Thesis
 

Investigating the Interplay of Age, Zinc Status, and the Gut Microbiome on Gut Health

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/honors_college_theses/8k71nr85f

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  • Zinc is an important micronutrient involved in many cellular processes, including those part of immune function; however, about 15% of the US population is at risk for marginal zinc deficiency. This can lead to immune system complications including the generation of inflammatory cytokines. Aging is another factor that worsens the immune response, and is also associated with zinc deficiency. Both aging and zinc have been shown to affect the composition of the gut microbiome. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are important for the integrity of the gut lining and may be harmfully affected by aging. Understanding the effects of zinc deficiency and aging on gut health can provide insight into how immune function may be improved through nutritional interventions. We hypothesized that lowered zinc status and increased age would be correlated with the presence of harmful microbes, as well as decreased SCFA production. Using an aging mouse model, we observed a significant effect of age, but not zinc deficiency, on gut microbiome composition, as beta diversity was significantly impacted by age. However, colonic levels of the SCFA propionate significantly differed within old mice by zinc status. Microbial taxa were more differentially abundant by age than by zinc status, and various unannotated genera of the family Lachnospiraceae were associated with propionate and IL6 levels. These results demonstrate the impact that aging can have on the gut microbiome and suggest that zinc status and SCFAs may interact with one another in bringing down inflammation and promoting gut health.
  • Keywords: zinc, aging, inflammation, gut health, gut microbiome
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