Bovine Milk Oligosaccharides and Human Milk Oligosaccharides Modulate the Gut Microbiota Composition and Volatile Fatty Acid Concentrations in a Preclinical Neonatal Model

Abstract

Milk oligosaccharides (OS) shape microbiome structure and function, but their relative abundances differ between species. Herein, the impact of the human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) (2′-fucosyllactose [2′FL] and lacto-N-neotetraose [LNnT]) and OS isolated from bovine milk (BMOS) on microbiota composition and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations in ascending colon (AC) contents and feces was assessed. Intact male piglets received diets either containing 6.5 g/L BMOS (n = 12), 1.0 g/L 2′FL + 0.5 g/L LNnT (HMO; n = 12), both (HMO + BMOS; n = 10), or neither (CON; n = 10) from postnatal day (PND) 2 to 34. Microbiota were assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and real-time PCR, and VFA were measured by gas chromatography. The microbiota was affected by OS in an intestine region-specific manner. BMOS reduced (p < 0.05) microbial richness in the AC, microbiota composition in the AC and feces, and acetate concentrations in AC, regardless of HMO presence. HMO alone did not affect overall microbial composition, but increased (p < 0.05) the relative proportion of specific taxa, including Blautia, compared to other groups. Bacteroides abundance was increased (p < 0.05) in the AC by BMOS and synergistically by BMOS + HMO in the feces. Distinct effects of HMO and BMOS suggest complementary and sometimes synergistic benefits of supplementing a complex mixture of OS to formula.

Evaluation of 2’-Fucosyllactose and Bifidobacterium longum Subspecies infantis on Growth, Organ Weights, and Intestinal Development of Piglets

“…Piglets and infants share similarities in gastrointestinal anatomy and metabolism [ 23 , 24 , 25 ], and piglets display a closer similarity in gut microbiota composition to humans than do rodents [ 37 ]. Thus, they serve as a relevant preclinical model to study prebiotics and probiotics and have been used extensively by our group [ 38 , 39 , 40 ] and others [ 41 , 42 ] to investigate the biological effects of individual HMOs and B. infantis [ 43 ]. The present study is the first to compare the individual and combined effects of HMO and B. infantis in the piglet model.…”

Human Milk Oligosaccharides as Potential Antibiofilm Agents: A Review

“…Colonization of the gut by microbes plays a critical role in host metabolism, mostly established in a child’s life during 2–3 years of age. The human gut also helps in maintaining the immune, gastrointestinal, and neural systems [ 61 ].…”

Metaproteomics—An Advantageous Option in Studies of Host-Microbiota Interaction

“…This method could be also be a part of a multi-omics approach in studies aiming to elucidate longitudinal dynamics in the microbiome structure [ 30 ] or in studies of modulating gut microbiota composition in a preclinical neonatal model [ 31 ].…”