Long-Evans Rat Cecal Content Microbiota by V3-V4 Region 16S rRNA Sequencing

This work aimed to profile changes in cecum content microbiota using V3-V4 16S rRNA sequencing from 62 male and female Long-Evans rats that were exposed to the CEREBIOME(R) probiotic (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052, Bifidobacterium longum R0175) or placebo, in addition to Western (40% fat, 43% carbohydrate, 17% protein) or control diet (10% fat, 73% carbohydrate, 17% protein). Previous work by our group has shown that the CEREBIOME(R) probiotic affects observed rat anxiety and metabolic outcomes in a sex-dependent manner. Since these psychological and physiological outcomes may be linked to specific bacterial presence in the gut, the present work adds to previous findings by describing the cecal contents of the same Long-Evans rats based on these aforementioned factors.