Aspergillus-Derived Cellulase Preparation Exhibits Prebiotic-like Effects on Gut Microbiota in Rats

Yongshou Yang,Shotaro Yamaguchi,Norihisa Kato,Thanutchaporn Kumrungsee,Shinji Fukuda,Manabu Kuroda

doi:10.3390/fermentation8020071

Abstract

Aspergillus-derived cellulase, which is involved in the production of Aspergillus-fermented foods, has been employed in the food and animal feed industries. However, the effect of dietary Aspergillus cellulase on health is poorly understood. Previously, we discovered that supplemental Aspergillus-derived protease and lipase preparations had substantial bifidogenic effects on rats fed a high-fat diet. Therefore, this study reports on the effects of a 0.1% dietary Aspergillus-derived cellulase preparation (CEL) on the gut microbiota of rats fed a high-fat diet. Gene sequencing analysis of 16S rRNA revealed that CEL treatment markedly affected the microbiota profiles of the cecal contents (p < 0.05). Notably, CEL markedly increased the relative abundance (RA) of typical probiotics, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, at the genus level (28- and 5-fold, respectively, p < 0.05). Similarly, at the family level, CEL treatment significantly increased the RA of Bifidobacteriaceae and Lactobacillaceae (p < 0.05). Furthermore, CEL increased the RA of other genera, such as Collinsella and Enterococcus, but decreased the RA of Oscillospira, Dorea and Coprobacillus (p < 0.05). The effects on these genera are similar to those reported for typical prebiotic oligosaccharides. Overall, this study demonstrates the prebiotic-like effects of dietary CEL by significantly increasing Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus abundance.

Highlights

Aspergillus-derived cellulase, which is involved in the production of Aspergillus-fermented foods, has been employed in the food and animal feed industries
Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, we found a remarkable increase in the cecal abundance of major probiotics, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria, following consumption of an Aspergillus-derived cellulase preparation (CEL)
Our results indicate that CEL treatment increased the relative abundance (RA) of typical probiotics, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus

Summary

Introduction

Aspergillus-derived cellulase, which is involved in the production of Aspergillus-fermented foods, has been employed in the food and animal feed industries. Aspergillus-derived protease and lipase preparations had substantial bifidogenic effects on rats fed a high-fat diet. This study reports on the effects of a 0.1% dietary Aspergillus-derived cellulase preparation (CEL) on the gut microbiota of rats fed a high-fat diet. CEL increased the RA of other genera, such as Collinsella and Enterococcus, but decreased the RA of Oscillospira, Dorea and Coprobacillus (p < 0.05) The effects on these genera are similar to those reported for typical prebiotic oligosaccharides. We found that dietary supplementation with an A. oryzae-derived protease preparation and purified acid protease caused a bifidogenic effect by striking an elevation in the cecal levels of Bifidobacterium, a typical probiotic (beneficial bacteria for host health), in rats fed a high-fat (HF) diet [2,3]. A subsequent study in our laboratory demonstrated the powerful bifidogenic effect of Aspergillus lipase in rats fed an HF diet [6]

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion