Seoul National University · 生化学・遺伝学・分子生物学
Professor Chul-Sung Huh's research lab focuses on the host-microbiome interactions, particularly in the context of metabolic and inflammatory diseases. The lab investigates the roles of gut and skin microbiomes in health and disease, with an emphasis on ethnic, age, and gender differences in microbial composition. A key research direction involves developing and evaluating probiotics—especially host-specific strains like *Lactobacillus salivarius* and *Lactobacillus rhamnosus*—as therapeutic agents for conditions such as diet-induced obesity, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and gut barrier dysfunction. The lab also develops advanced delivery systems, such as pH-sensitive tablets using phthalyl inulin, to enhance probiotic survival through the gastrointestinal tract.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
The gut microbiota of diet-induced obese mice appears to be modulated in mice receiving probiotic treatment. Probiotic treatment might reduce diet-induced obesity and modulate genes associated with metabolism and inflammation in the liver and adipose tissue.
The interest in skin microbiome differences by ethnicity, age, and gender is increasing. Compared to other ethnic groups, studies on the skin microbiome of Koreans remains insufficient; we investigated facial skin microbiome characteristics according to gender and age among Koreans. Fifty-one healthy participants were recruited, the facial skin characteristics of each donor were investigated, their skin bacterial DNA was isolated and metagenomic analysis was performed. The donors were divided in
Enforced restrictions on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters (AGPs) in animal production have prompted investigations into alternative feed additives in recent decades. Probiotics are currently the main feed additive used in livestock. However, the selection of probiotic candidates relies on human-based methods and little is known about the verification criteria for host-specific selection. We investigated the probiotic potential of Lactobacillus salivarius strains isolated from fed pig f
The role of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been in focus for decades. Although metagenomic observations in patients/animal colitis models have been attempted, the microbiome results were still indefinite and broad taxonomic presumptions were made due to the cross-sectional studies. Herein, we conducted a longitudinal microbiome analysis in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model with a two-factor design based on serial DSS dose (
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of conditions involving chronic relapsing-remitting inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract with an unknown etiology. Although the cause-effect relationship between gut microbiota and IBD has not been clearly established, emerging evidence from experimental models supports the idea that gut microbes play a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of IBD. As microbiome-based therapeutics for IBD, the beneficial effects of probiotics have been found in an
Probiotics show low cell viability after oral administration because they have difficulty surviving in the stomach due to low pH and enzymes. For the oral delivery of probiotics, developing a formula that protects the probiotic bacteria from gastric acidity while providing living cells is mandatory. In this study, we developed tablets using a new pH-sensitive phthalyl inulin (PI) to protect probiotics from gastric conditions and investigated the effects of different compression forces on cell su
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play an important role in dairy fermentations, notably as cheese starter cultures. During the cheese production and ripening period, various enzymes from milk, rennet, starter cultures, and non-starter LABs are involved in flavor formation pathways, including glycolysis, proteolysis, and lipolysis. Among these three pathways, starter LABs are particularly related to amino acid degradation, presumably as the origins of major flavor compounds. Therefore, we used several
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