Modulation of the Caecal Gut Microbiota of Mice by Dietary Supplement Containing Resistant Starch: Impact Is Donor-Dependent.

Claire Cherbuy,Déborah Bellet,Camille Mayeur,Véronique Robert,Philippe Langella,Andreas Schwiertz

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.01234

Abstract

Alterations in the gut microbiota have been associated with a wide range of pathologies and conditions. Maintaining a well-balanced microbiota is a key factor in sustaining good health. Our aim was to investigate the impact of a resistant starch-containing dietary supplement (SymbioIntest®) on the composition of the human gut microbiota and on intestinal short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentration. Human microbiota-associated mice were used. Ex-germ-free mice were inoculated with fecal suspensions from four different donors. Three weeks later, the mice were orally gavaged for 1 month with either a daily dose of 10 mg of SymbioIntest® or the vehicle (water) for the negative control group. The composition of the microbiota and SCFA levels were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and gas chromatography, respectively. In three groups of mice, SymbioIntest® supplementation increased the concentration of caecal butyrate. This was in conjunction with a remodeling of the gut microbiota. OTUs belonging to the Bacteroidaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae families were affected. In two groups of mice the greatest changes in OTUs were seen in the Faecalibacterium genus. The supplementation’s highest impact was observed in mice inoculated with gut microbiota containing a lower number of Ruminococcaceae and Faecalibacterium and a higher number of Prevotellaceae. SymbioIntest® supplementation elicited a beneficial effect on the healthy adult gut microbiota by increasing caecal butyrate production and health-promoting taxa. We highlight the fact that screening the gut microbiota may be used for predicting individualized responses to dietary interventions and thus developing personalized nutritional strategies.

Highlights

Human beings and microbes co-exist in symbiosis
resistant starch (RS) is fermented by the gut microbiota into short chain fatty acids (SCFA) (Shen et al, 2017) that have a diverse range of physiological effects on the host (Macfarlane and Macfarlane, 2012)
We have shown that SymbioIntest R supplementation leads to a significant increase in caecal butyrate concentrations in three groups of mice inoculated with the gut microbiota of three different donors

Summary

Introduction

Human beings and microbes co-exist in symbiosis. Most of the body’s microbes are found in the distal part of the digestive tract where colonization level is as high as 1011 microbes/g of content. RS is fermented by the gut microbiota into short chain fatty acids (SCFA) (Shen et al, 2017) that have a diverse range of physiological effects on the host (Macfarlane and Macfarlane, 2012). This is concomitant to a shift in microbiota composition toward the increase of butyrateproducing bacteria in humans (Walker et al, 2011) or in pigs (Haenen et al, 2013)

Objectives

Results

Conclusion