Abstract
The intestinal microbial community (microbiota) is dynamic and variable amongst individuals and plays an essential part in gut health and homeostasis. Dietary components can modulate the structure of the gut microbiota. In recent years, substantial efforts have been made to find novel dietary components with positive effects on the gut microbial community structure. Natural algal polysaccharides and carotenoids have been reported to possess various functions of biological relevance and their impact on the gut microbiota is currently a topic of interest. This study, therefore, reports the effect of the sulfated polysaccharide ulvan and the carotenoid astaxanthin extracted and purified from the aquacultured marine green macroalgae Ulva ohnoi and freshwater green microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis, respectively, on the temporal development of the murine gut microbiota. Significant changes with the increase in the bacterial classes Bacteroidia, Bacilli, Clostridia, and Verrucomicrobia were observed after feeding the mice with ulvan and astaxanthin. Duration of the treatments had a more substantial effect on the bacterial community structure than the type of treatment. Our findings highlight the potential of ulvan and astaxanthin to mediate aspects of host-microbe symbiosis in the gut, and if incorporated into the diet, these could assist positively in improving disease conditions associated with gut health.
Highlights
This article is an open access articleThe gut microbiota plays an important role in human health and well-being
Ulvan and astaxanthin supplementation in mice changes the structure of gut microflora compared with naïve control mice, dominated by bacterial populations in the fecal samples belonging to classes Bacteroidia, Bacilli, Clostridia, and Verrucomicrobia, and their role has been attributed as a probiotic class of bacteria that can help in maintaining the intestinal barrier in mice and rats
Most of these microbial classes of bacteria have been previously reported for fermenting the polysaccharide into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA’s) and other metabolites in the gut [1,18]
Summary
The gut microbiota plays an important role in human health and well-being. An imbalance or dysbiosis of the gut microbiota has been associated with several chronic and inflammatory non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, type-2 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease [1]. Diet and dietary fibers play a central role in maintaining gut homeostasis, as bacterial populations use them to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons. Different dietary supplements involving a range of macromolecules, such as polysaccharides, are efficacious in promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria to produce immune-boosting metabolites [2,3,4]. Algal polysaccharides from different origins are known for their immune-modulating properties and suppressing inflammatory responses [2,8]
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