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Establishment of a Standard Tongue Coating Collection Method for Microbiome Studies.
Xuan Zeng1, Huihui Jin1, Chuyang Wang1
1State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Biopreservation and Biobanking
|February 2, 2023
Summary
Standardized tongue coating collection methods using sterile swabs and commercial preservation solutions ensure reliable microbiome analysis. Age significantly impacts tongue coating microbiome diversity and composition, with distinct bacterial genera found in older and younger individuals.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genomics
- Oral Health
Background:
- Standardization of tongue coating microbiome sample collection is lacking.
- Previous studies have focused on disease-associated microbiomes without standardized methods.
- This study addresses the need for validated collection protocols.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish and validate a standardized method for collecting tongue coating samples for microbiome analysis.
- To assess the impact of age on tongue coating microbiome composition and diversity.
Main Methods:
- Compared different sampling tools, preservation solutions, scraping times, and storage durations.
- Utilized 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing for microbiome analysis.
- Analyzed DNA quality and quantity to verify the established method.
Main Results:
- Sterile oral swab B is recommended for sample collection.
- Commercial long-term preservation solution is suitable for room temperature storage (0-7 days).
- Significant differences in bacterial diversity and composition were observed between aged and younger individuals, with specific genera identified for each group.
Conclusions:
- A reliable and reproducible tongue coating collection method for microbiome studies has been established.
- Age-related differences in tongue coating microbiota composition are significant.
- The findings contribute to understanding the age-related dynamics of the oral microbiome.
