Gut bacterial metabolites of indigestible polysaccharides in intestinal fermentation as mediators of public health.

Abstract

The gut microbiome is regarded as an essential dynamic organ that functions in nourishment, epithelial development and innate immunity. One important benefit of the dietary polysaccharides to human health is due to its fermentability in gut. It is been known quite well that dietary fiber is able of impacting colon microbiota. Fermented products from these polysaccharides, especially short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are bioactive molecules with health benefits. It is proposed that the dietary polysaccharide-deriving SCFAs could be converted into glucose and /or directly signal intestinal receptors and therefore contribute the benefits via gut-brain neural circuits. In addition, fermented polysaccharides can facilitate the beneficial bacteria to generate bioactive molecules important for the normal maturation of the host immune system. Manipulation of the microbiota and metabolites from intestinal microbiota might be a promising new approach for the prevention or treatment diseases (Fig. 2, Ref. 30).