Esma Güran

Kombucha is a widely consumed fermented beverage containing a diverse community of bacteria and yeasts that may have probiotic effects and contribute to improved gut health. A disrupted gut microbiome has been associated with metabolic and immune-related diseases, including diabetes and obesity. Microorganisms present in kombucha may help restore microbial balance and support intestinal homeostasis. However, knowledge about their direct effects on the host immune system remains limited.

Therefore, this project aims to investigate whether and how kombucha microorganisms effect the immune system. Zebrafish larvae are used as an in vivo model, as their intestinal structure and immune system show similarities to those of humans. This makes the model highly suitable for studying microbe interactions in the gut.

We identified several lactic acid bacteria and yeast from kombucha that are able to colonize the larvae guts and can inhibit colonisation of pathogens such as Mycobacterium marinum. Moreover, these micro-organisms reduced influx of macrophages in the gut after infection. These promising results indicate that Kombucha microorganisms have probiotic potential, as they are able to colonize the intestine and inhibit pathogen growth.

To further investigate the specific effect of kombucha microorganisms in the presence and absence of pathogens the expression levels of targeted immune-related genes are currently analyzed using qPCR. (Moreover, RNA sequencing is being performed to obtain an untargeted, broader overview of changes in gene expression patterns of immune- and metabolic pathways.