Abstract
Long-term enteral nutrition (LTEN) can induce gut microbiota (GM) dysbiosis and gastrointestinal related symptoms, such as constipation or diarrhoea. To date, the treatment of constipation is based on the use of laxatives and prebiotics. Only recently have probiotics and synbiotics been considered, the latter modulating the GM and regulating intestinal functions. This randomized open-label intervention study evaluated the effects of synbiotic treatment on the GM profile, its functional activity and on intestinal functions in long-term home EN (LTHEN) patients. Twenty LTHEN patients were recruited to take enteral formula plus one sachet/day of synbiotic (intervention group, IG) or enteral formula (control group, CG) for four months and evaluated for constipation, stool consistency, and GM and metabolite profiles. In IG patients, statistically significant reduction of constipation and increase of stool consistency were observed after four months (T1), compared to CG subjects. GM ecology analyses revealed a decrease in the microbial diversity of both IC and CG groups. Biodiversity increased at T1 for 5/11 IG patients and Methanobrevibacter was identified as the biomarker correlated to the richness increase. Moreover, the increase of short chain fatty acids and the reduction of harmful molecules have been correlated to synbiotic administration. Synbiotics improve constipation symptoms and influences Methanobrevibacter growth in LTHEN patients.
Highlights
The gut microbiota (GM), composed of 1014 microbes inhabiting the human intestine, is a complex ecological community that influences physiology and disease susceptibilities through its collective metabolic activities and host interactions [1]
The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of a synbiotic on the modification of GM and intestinal function in long-term home enteral nutrition (LTHEN) patients
By GC-MS/SPME, we identified and quantified 166 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Summary
The gut microbiota (GM), composed of 1014 microbes inhabiting the human intestine, is a complex ecological community that influences physiology and disease susceptibilities through its collective metabolic activities and host interactions [1]. Disruption of the normal balance between GM and host, has been associated with obesity, malnutrition, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), neurological disorders, cancer, and other gastrointestinal (GI) and extra-intestinal diseases [3,4,5,6,7,8]. The colon is the only substantial contributor to the total bacterial population, while the stomach and small intestine (duodenum and jejunum) make negligible contributions owing to the relatively low pH of the stomach and the fast flow of the content through the stomach and the small intestine [10]
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