Title: Changes in microbial and metabolic profiles of mice fed with long-term high salt diet
Version: 2 Date: 26 Aug 2024
Reviewer:  Petia Kovatcheva-Datchary
Reviewer's report:
In the current manuscript the authors present data from animal intervention with high salt diet
content vs normal salt diet.
In general, the physiological observation related to the post effect of the high salt diet on the
mice metabolism is not unexpected, considering the effect high salt content brings to human.
However, it looks like here the novelty should be focused also not only on the long treatment
but also the analysis related to the gut microbiota and metabolites.
While this is interesting for the reviewer is unclear how such big conclusions and a whole paper
can be made only with 8 mice (4 mice per group). Therefore, the data need to be supported by
more mice, otherwise the study is very immature and inconclusive. Also, information related to
the housing of the mice (single per cage or a cage per group) is missing.
Further, the authors discus about changes in the gut microbiota, but what are the time dependent
changes in the microbiome during this high salt intervention.
Further, the approach of performing fecal metabolomics is very good, but what about the
metabolite’s levels in serum. This will be much more relevant considering the impact of the long
treatment to the host metabolism.
Finally, the statistics related to the correlation analysis needs more clear justification and
explanation.
Specific comments: In the material part of the abstract is indicated that animals were fed 22
weeks high salt diet and then feces and fat was collected, what about serum? Also, the host
characterization was done up to 30 weeks. Explanation for this is missing.
Please remove “gut” at line 24, the word “feces” is enough to explain the origin of the samples.
Title: Changes in microbial and metabolic profiles of mice fed with long-term high salt diet
Version: 2 Date: 26 Aug 2024
Reviewer:  Petia Kovatcheva-Datchary
Reviewer's report:
In the current manuscript the authors present data from animal intervention with high salt diet
content vs normal salt diet.
In general, the physiological observation related to the post effect of the high salt diet on the
mice metabolism is not unexpected, considering the effect high salt content brings to human.
However, it looks like here the novelty should be focused also not only on the long treatment
but also the analysis related to the gut microbiota and metabolites.
While this is interesting for the reviewer is unclear how such big conclusions and a whole paper
can be made only with 8 mice (4 mice per group). Therefore, the data need to be supported by
more mice, otherwise the study is very immature and inconclusive. Also, information related to
the housing of the mice (single per cage or a cage per group) is missing.
Further, the authors discus about changes in the gut microbiota, but what are the time dependent
changes in the microbiome during this high salt intervention.
Further, the approach of performing fecal metabolomics is very good, but what about the
metabolite’s levels in serum. This will be much more relevant considering the impact of the long
treatment to the host metabolism.
Finally, the statistics related to the correlation analysis needs more clear justification and
explanation.
Specific comments: In the material part of the abstract is indicated that animals were fed 22
weeks high salt diet and then feces and fat was collected, what about serum? Also, the host
characterization was done up to 30 weeks. Explanation for this is missing.
Please remove “gut” at line 24, the word “feces” is enough to explain the origin of the samples.
Please review this paper.
user
Title: Changes in microbial and metabolic profiles of mice fed with long-term high salt diet
Version: 2 Date: 26 Aug 2024
Reviewer:  Petia Kovatcheva-Datchary
Reviewer's report:
In the current manuscript the authors present data from animal intervention with high salt diet
content vs normal salt diet.
In general, the physiological observation related to the post effect of the high salt diet on the
mice metabolism is not unexpected, considering the effect high salt content brings to human.
However, it looks like here the novelty should be focused also not only on the long treatment
but also the analysis related to the gut microbiota and metabolites.
While this is interesting for the reviewer is unclear how such big conclusions and a whole paper
can be made only with 8 mice (4 mice per group). Therefore, the data need to be supported by
more mice, otherwise the study is very immature and inconclusive. Also, information related to
the housing of the mice (single per cage or a cage per group) is missing.
Further, the authors discus about changes in the gut microbiota, but what are the time dependent
changes in the microbiome during this high salt intervention.
Further, the approach of performing fecal metabolomics is very good, but what about the
metabolite’s levels in serum. This will be much more relevant considering the impact of the long
treatment to the host metabolism.
Finally, the statistics related to the correlation analysis needs more clear justification and
explanation.
Specific comments: In the material part of the abstract is indicated that animals were fed 22
weeks high salt diet and then feces and fat was collected, what about serum? Also, the host
characterization was done up to 30 weeks. Explanation for this is missing.
Please remove “gut” at line 24, the word “feces” is enough to explain the origin of the samples.
assistant