How to Feed the Mammalian Gut Microbiota: Bacterial and Metabolic Modulation by Dietary Fibers.

Chiara Ferrario,Luca Carnevali,Margerita Dall’Asta,Samantha Lodge,Rosario Statello,Andrea Sgoifo,Alice Viappiani,Christian Milani,Daniele Del Rio,Marta Mangifesta,Gabriele A Lugli,Marco Ventura,Douwe Van Sinderen,Beatriz Jimenez,Francesca Turroni,Leonardo Mancabelli,Giulia Alessandri,Sabrina Duranti

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2017.01749

Abstract

The composition of the gut microbiota of mammals is greatly influenced by diet. Therefore, evaluation of different food ingredients that may promote changes in the gut microbiota composition is an attractive approach to treat microbiota disturbances. In this study, three dietary fibers, such as inulin (I, 10%), resistant starch (RS, 10%), and citrus pectin (3%), were employed as supplements to normal chow diet of adult male rats for 2 weeks. Fecal microbiota composition and corresponding metabolite profiles were assessed before and after prebiotics supplementation. A general increase in the Bacteroidetes phylum was detected with a concurrent reduction in Firmicutes, in particular for I and RS experiments, while additional changes in the microbiota composition were evident at lower taxonomic levels for all the three substrates. Such modifications in the microbiota composition were correlated with changes in metabolic profiles of animals, in particular changes in acetate and succinate levels. This study represents a first attempt to modulate selectively the abundance and/or metabolic activity of various members of the gut microbiota by means of dietary fiber.

Highlights

The term “microbiota” is defined as the community of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms present in a specific environment (Peterson et al, 2009)
We investigated in this study the effects of various dietary substrates, including inulin (I), resistant starch (RS), and citrus pectin (CP), on the gut microbiota of adult wildtype Groningen rats in a time-limited intervention study employing 16S rRNA microbial profiling and metabolomic analyses
All dietary supplements examined in this study, i.e., I, RS, and CP, were selected based on previous scientific publications on effectiveness of these compounds in modulating certain gut microbiota members

Summary

INTRODUCTION

The term “microbiota” is defined as the community of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms present in a specific environment (Peterson et al, 2009). The use of prebiotics is considered an important approach to manipulate the gut microbiota in order to prevent or treat unbalanced GIT conditions (Dahiya et al, 2017) Prebiotic compounds, such as the human milk-, galacto-, fructo-, xylo-, and pectinoligosaccharides and lactulose, are known to selectively stimulate bifidobacterial growth and metabolism (Roberfroid et al, 2010; Cockburn and Koropatkin, 2016; Wilson and Whelan, 2017). We investigated in this study the effects of various dietary substrates, including inulin (I), resistant starch (RS), and citrus pectin (CP), on the gut microbiota of adult wildtype Groningen rats in a time-limited intervention study employing 16S rRNA microbial profiling and metabolomic analyses

Ethics Statement

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION