Network analysis of nitrate-sensitive oral microbiome reveals interactions with cognitive function and cardiovascular health across dietary interventions
Anni Vanhatalo, Joanna E L'Heureux, James Kelly, Jamie R Blackwell, Lee J Wylie, Jonathan Fulford, Paul G Winyard, David W Williams, Mark van der Giezen, Andrew M Jones, Anni Vanhatalo, Joanna E L'Heureux, James Kelly, Jamie R Blackwell, Lee J Wylie, Jonathan Fulford, Paul G Winyard, David W Williams, Mark van der Giezen, Andrew M Jones
Abstract
Many oral bacteria reduce inorganic nitrate, a natural part of a vegetable-rich diet, into nitrite that acts as a precursor to nitric oxide, a regulator of vascular tone and neurotransmission. Aging is hallmarked by reduced nitric oxide production with associated detriments to cardiovascular and cognitive function. This study applied a systems-level bacterial co-occurrence network analysis across 10-day dietary nitrate and placebo interventions to test the stability of relationships between physiological and cognitive traits and clusters of co-occurring oral bacteria in older people. Relative abundances of Proteobacteria increased, while Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Fusobacteria decreased after nitrate supplementation. Two distinct microbiome modules of co-occurring bacteria, that were sensitive to nitrate supplementation, showed stable relationships with cardiovascular (Rothia-Streptococcus) and cognitive (Neisseria-Haemophilus) indices of health across both dietary conditions. A microbiome module (Prevotella-Veillonella) that has been associated with pro-inflammatory metabolism was diminished after nitrate supplementation, including a decrease in relative abundance of pathogenic Clostridium difficile. These nitrate-sensitive oral microbiome modules are proposed as potential pre- and probiotic targets to ameliorate age-induced impairments in cardiovascular and cognitive health.
Keywords: Aging; Nitric oxide; Oral microbiome.
Conflict of interest statement
None.
Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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References
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