Research Associate Professor University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada, United States
Disclosure(s):
Silvia D. Stan, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and it is highly resistant to conventional chemotherapy which makes it difficult to treat. The low survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer leads to an increased need for preventive strategies for this disease. Epidemiological studies have shown an association between a higher intake of cruciferous vegetables and a lower risk of developing cancer. Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is a cruciferous vegetable rich in phenethyl isothiocyanate which has been shown to inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth.
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of freeze-dried watercress consumption on the fecal gut microbiota using the LSL-KrasG12D;Pdx1-Cre mouse model.
Methods: Freeze-dried watercress obtained by freeze-drying organic fresh watercress was incorporated into mouse diet pellets containing 15% (w/w) freeze-dried watercress. Mice (male and female) were fed AIN93M diet supplemented with 15% freeze-dried watercress (w/w). Composition of the fecal microbiota was determined by shotgun metagenomics sequencing and differential abundance of taxa was analyzed using the One Codex microbiome analysis platform.
Results: Treatment with freeze-dried watercress altered the relative abundance of bacterial genera and species within the fecal microbiome. For example, consumption of freeze-dried watercress increased abundance levels of Parasutterella excrementihominis, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, and Akkermansia muciniphila.
Conclusions: Treatment with freeze-dried watercress modulated the gut microbiota composition at the genus and species levels.
Funding Sources: This study was funded by USDA NIFA award number 2023-67018-39757.
