Bifidobacteria exert species-specific effects on constipation in BALB/c mice

Abstract

Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal complaints worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine whether edible bifidobacteria (Bifidobacterium longum, B. infantis, B. animalis, B. bifidum, B. adolescentis or B. breve) exhibit interspecies differences in alleviating constipation induced by loperamide in BALB/c mice and to analyse the main reasons for the interspecies differences. BALB/c mice were given bifidobacteria by gavage once per day for 8 days. The primary outcome measures, which included related constipation indicators, and the secondary outcome measures, which included changes in the concentration of short-chain fatty acids in faeces and changes in the faecal flora, were used to evaluate the therapeutic effects of the edible bifidobacteria on constipation. The findings show that the six species of Bifidobacterium differed in their ability to relieve constipation. B. longum, B. infantis and B. bifidum were the most effective in relieving constipation, B. adolescentis and B. breve were partially effective and B. animalis was not effective. Furthermore, edible Bifidobacterium treated constipation by increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus and decreasing the abundance of Alistipes, Odoribacter and Clostridium. Higher concentrations of short-chain fatty acids were found in the faecal samples from the edible Bifidobacterium treatment groups. Meanwhile, an increased concentration of acetic acid could alleviate constipation. In conclusion, edible bifidobacteria exhibit interspecies differences in the alleviation of constipation. Meanwhile, bifidobacteria improved constipation symptoms by increasing the concentration of acetic acid and the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and reducing the content of Alistipes, Odoribacter and Clostridium.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus Strains Relieve Loperamide-Induced Constipation via Different Pathways Independent of Short-Chain Fatty Acids

“…In this study, we investigated the pathways by which L. rhamnosus relieves constipation, evaluated potential strain-related differences in these pathways and identify the effects of these strains on the gut microenvironment. Unlike previous studies, L. rhamnosus strains used in this study did not relieve constipation by recovering gut SCFAs levels as in the administration of bifidobacteria in earlier studies (Wang et al, 2017a(Wang et al, ,b, 2019. Besides, different strains of L. rhamnosus also showed differences in the way to relieve constipation.…”

The Constipation-Relieving Property of d-Tagatose by Modulating the Composition of Gut Microbiota

“…To establish the model, loperamide was used to induce constipation, the primary mechanism of which can be attributed to the inhibition of the release of Ach and prostaglandins, thus, leading to the reduced frequency of bowel motility and prolonged bowel movement [1]. The gastrointestinal transit, time to the first black stool defecation, as well as fecal weight and number in unit time are key indices with which to evaluate the function of the gastrointestinal transit [1,26]. The movement of gastrointestinal contents is mainly promoted by peristalsis, which can be detected by measuring the gastrointestinal transit rate and time to the first black stool defecation [3].…”

“…The 16S rRNA amplicon of gut microbiota was applied to investigate the underlying mechanism among the different mice groups. First, the overall association tests by the alpha and beta diversity measurements were conducted to provide a holistic view of the microbiota structure [26]. From Figure 2, we can see that the administration of d -tagatose changed alpha diversity based on species richness (Chao-1, observed species, and Shannon), and a significant change in the structure of the rectum microbiota was observed in a PCoA plot of beta diversity (Figure 2).…”

Deciphering the metabolic capabilities of Bifidobacteria using genome-scale metabolic models

“…Their ability to utilise a wide variety of complex substrates reflects their metabolic adaptations 28 . Studies reveal that bifidobacteria exert strong effects in shaping the bacterial gut community by secreting the major fermentation end-products, such as acetic acid and lactic acid 29 . Moreover, Bifidobacterium (including B. animalis subsp.…”

“…Furthermore, bifidobacterial secretion of formate while utilising glucose has also been previously observed 40 . Studies of Wang et al 29 show the importance of Bifidobacterium in relieving constipation mainly by improving the concentration of acetic acid in the intestine. In addition to the role of B. longum in acetate production as reported by Wang et al, our study could identify B. gallicum and B. kashiwanohense to be capable of producing acetate in all viable environments.…”