1. J Nutr. 2010 Mar;140(3):509-14. Epub 2010 Jan 20.

Changes in intestinal bifidobacteria levels are associated with the inflammatory 
response in magnesium-deficient mice.

Pachikian BD, Neyrinck AM, Deldicque L, De Backer FC, Catry E, Dewulf EM, Sohet
FM, Bindels LB, Everard A, Francaux M, Guiot Y, Cani PD, Delzenne NM.

Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute,
Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels 1200, Belgium.

Magnesium (Mg) deficiency is a common nutritional disorder that is linked to an
inflammatory state characterized by increased plasma acute phase protein and
proinflammatory cytokine concentrations. Recent studies have shown that changes
in the composition of gut microbiota composition participate in systemic
inflammation. In this study, therefore, we assessed the potential role of gut
microbiota in intestinal and systemic inflammation associated with Mg deficiency 
in mice. For this purpose, mice were fed a control or Mg-deficient diet (500 mg
vs. 70 mg Mg/kg) for 4 or 21 d. Compared with the mice fed the control diet, mice
fed the Mg-deficient diet for 4 d had a lower gut bifidobacteria content (-1.5
log), a 36-50% lower mRNA content of factors controlling gut barrier function in 
the ileum (zonula occludens-1, occludin, proglucagon), and a higher mRNA content 
(by approximately 2-fold) in the liver and/or intestine of tumor necrosis
factor-alpha, interleukin-6, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein,
and activating transcription factor 4, reflecting inflammatory and cellular
stress. In contrast, mice fed the Mg-deficient diet for 21 d had a higher cecal
bifidobacteria content compared with the control group, a phenomenon accompanied 
by restoration of the intestinal barrier and the absence of inflammation. In
conclusion, we show that Mg deficiency, independently of any other changes in
nutrient intake, modulates the concentration of bifidobacteria in the gut, a
phenomenon that may time-dependently affect inflammation and metabolic disorders 
in mice.

PMID: 20089787 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]