Loperamide increases mouse gut transit time in a dose-dependent manner with treatment duration-dependent effects on distinct gut microbial taxa

Intestinal transit time has been recognized as an important factor in shaping the gut microbiota, although causality remains to be firmly demonstrated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different loperamide doses on the mouse intestinal transit time and to investigate the effects o...

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Main Authors: Anna Pii Hjørne, Martin Steen Mortensen, Tine Rask Licht, Martin Frederik Laursen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2025-01-01
Series:Gut Microbiome
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632289725000052/type/journal_article
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author Anna Pii Hjørne
Martin Steen Mortensen
Tine Rask Licht
Martin Frederik Laursen
author_facet Anna Pii Hjørne
Martin Steen Mortensen
Tine Rask Licht
Martin Frederik Laursen
author_sort Anna Pii Hjørne
collection DOAJ
description Intestinal transit time has been recognized as an important factor in shaping the gut microbiota, although causality remains to be firmly demonstrated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different loperamide doses on the mouse intestinal transit time and to investigate the effects of increasing transit time on the gut microbial community. Loperamide significantly increased the transit time in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, we observed a significant difference between the control group and the loperamide-treated groups in the abundance of the bacterial families Bacteroidaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, and Akkermansiaceae after 7 days of loperamide treatment, with the bacterial families responding to the increased transit time at different rates. Fermentation of faeces obtained from the same mice, with or without loperamide, demonstrated that the observed effects on gut microbiota in vivo were not a result of direct interactions between loperamide and the gut microbiota but rather a consequence of loperamide-induced increased intestinal transit time. In the cecum of the mice, we found higher levels of propionate in the high-dose group compared to the control and low-dose groups. Collectively, our findings establish that an altered transit time is causal to changes in the composition and activity of the microbiome.
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spelling doaj-art-54c17577f95e4578abb2e9ff3d178cd42025-08-20T02:55:17ZengCambridge University PressGut Microbiome2632-28972025-01-01610.1017/gmb.2025.5Loperamide increases mouse gut transit time in a dose-dependent manner with treatment duration-dependent effects on distinct gut microbial taxaAnna Pii Hjørne0https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5513-6576Martin Steen Mortensen1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5483-7533Tine Rask Licht2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6399-9574Martin Frederik Laursen3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6017-7121National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, DenmarkNational Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, DenmarkNational Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, DenmarkNational Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, DenmarkIntestinal transit time has been recognized as an important factor in shaping the gut microbiota, although causality remains to be firmly demonstrated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different loperamide doses on the mouse intestinal transit time and to investigate the effects of increasing transit time on the gut microbial community. Loperamide significantly increased the transit time in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, we observed a significant difference between the control group and the loperamide-treated groups in the abundance of the bacterial families Bacteroidaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, and Akkermansiaceae after 7 days of loperamide treatment, with the bacterial families responding to the increased transit time at different rates. Fermentation of faeces obtained from the same mice, with or without loperamide, demonstrated that the observed effects on gut microbiota in vivo were not a result of direct interactions between loperamide and the gut microbiota but rather a consequence of loperamide-induced increased intestinal transit time. In the cecum of the mice, we found higher levels of propionate in the high-dose group compared to the control and low-dose groups. Collectively, our findings establish that an altered transit time is causal to changes in the composition and activity of the microbiome.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632289725000052/type/journal_articlegut microbiometransit timeloperamide
spellingShingle Anna Pii Hjørne
Martin Steen Mortensen
Tine Rask Licht
Martin Frederik Laursen
Loperamide increases mouse gut transit time in a dose-dependent manner with treatment duration-dependent effects on distinct gut microbial taxa
Gut Microbiome
gut microbiome
transit time
loperamide
title Loperamide increases mouse gut transit time in a dose-dependent manner with treatment duration-dependent effects on distinct gut microbial taxa
title_full Loperamide increases mouse gut transit time in a dose-dependent manner with treatment duration-dependent effects on distinct gut microbial taxa
title_fullStr Loperamide increases mouse gut transit time in a dose-dependent manner with treatment duration-dependent effects on distinct gut microbial taxa
title_full_unstemmed Loperamide increases mouse gut transit time in a dose-dependent manner with treatment duration-dependent effects on distinct gut microbial taxa
title_short Loperamide increases mouse gut transit time in a dose-dependent manner with treatment duration-dependent effects on distinct gut microbial taxa
title_sort loperamide increases mouse gut transit time in a dose dependent manner with treatment duration dependent effects on distinct gut microbial taxa
topic gut microbiome
transit time
loperamide
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632289725000052/type/journal_article
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AT martinsteenmortensen loperamideincreasesmouseguttransittimeinadosedependentmannerwithtreatmentdurationdependenteffectsondistinctgutmicrobialtaxa
AT tinerasklicht loperamideincreasesmouseguttransittimeinadosedependentmannerwithtreatmentdurationdependenteffectsondistinctgutmicrobialtaxa
AT martinfrederiklaursen loperamideincreasesmouseguttransittimeinadosedependentmannerwithtreatmentdurationdependenteffectsondistinctgutmicrobialtaxa