Dechlorane Plus exposure on gut microbiome evaluated by using both in vivo and in vitro assays

Abstract

The gut microbiome is crucial for the health of animals including human and is sensitive to environmental factors. Dechlorane Plus (DP) is a widely used polychlorinated flame retardant in commercial products for which general human population has been exposed to, but its effects on the gut microbiota are largely unknown. In this work, experiments were conducted to examine the effect of DP exposure on the intestinal microbiota by using Sprague-Dawley rats and a simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem (SHIME). 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing revealed that DP exposure in vivo reduced the relative abundance of the genera Prevotella, Quinella, and Ruminococcus, exposure in vitro decreased the relative abundance of Coriobacteriaceae, Parabacteroides, Bilophila, Sporolactobacillus, and Klebsiella. The phyla Synergistetes and Lentisphaerae were only detected in the descending colon. DP exposure also increased the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by the gut microbe both in vivo and in vitro, but SCFA metabolism was gradually inhibited as the increase of DP concentrations. These results indicated that DP exposure changed both the structure and metabolic function of the gut microbiota, suggesting more attention should be concentrated on the health effects of DP exposure, especially at higher doses.