Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) differentially modifies the in vitro gut microbiota in an age-dependent manner

Abstract

IntroductionFructooligosaccharides (FOS) are well-known carbohydrates that promote healthy gut microbiota and have been previously demonstrated to enhance levels of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Its bifidogenic properties are associated with positive health outcomes such as reduced obesity and anti-inflammatory properties, and, therefore, is in use as a prebiotic supplement to support healthy gut microbiota. However, the gut microbiota changes with age, which may lead to differential responses to treatments with prebiotics and other dietary supplements.MethodsTo address this concern, we implemented a 24-h in vitro culturing method to determine whether FOS treatment in three different adult age groups would have a differential effect. The age groups of interest ranged from 25 to 70 years and were split into young adults, adults, and older adults for the purposes of this analysis. Metagenomics and short-chain fatty acid analysis were performed to determine changes in the structure and function of the microbial communities.ResultsThese analyses found that FOS created a bifidogenic response in all age groups, increased overall SCFA levels, decreased alpha diversity, and shifted the communities to be more similar in beta diversity metrics. However, the age groups differed in which taxa were most prevalent or most affected by FOS treatment.DiscussionOverall, the results of this study demonstrate the positive effects of FOS on the gut microbiome, and importantly, how age may play a role in the effectiveness of this prebiotic.

Targeted remodeling of the human gut microbiome using Juemingzi (Senna seed extracts)

“…Samples clustered significantly by group using both the weighted and unweighted UniFrac metrics (PERMANOVA, p = 0.004 and p = 0.011 respectively) ( Figure 3 ), with significant clustering by donor only with the unweighted UniFrac metric (PERMANOVA, p=0.013). The unweighted metric captures overall phylogenetic shifts in community composition, while the weighted metric also incorporates changes in abundance ( Lozupone and Knight, 2005 ; Lozupone et al., 2011 ) In the case of host-associated microbiomes, inter-individual differences can outweigh small changes associated with treatment ( Turnbaugh et al., 2009 ; Kolodziejczyk et al., 2019 ; Firrman et al., 2023 ; Mahalak et al., 2023 ). However, in this case samples clustered by treatment regardless of donor origin, speaking to the strength of the treatment effects observed.…”

Effects of probiotics in patients with morbid obesity undergoing bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…A recent study reported Fusimonas intestini , highly colonized in humans with obesity and hyperglycemia, can produce long-chain fatty acids and facilitate diet-induced obesity consequently [ 59 ]. The study of Liang et al and Karl et al reported that Lactobacillus [ 60 ] and Bifidobacterium [ 61 ] can promote SCFAs which may increase energy expenditure through induction of thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue as well as browning of the white adipose tissue [ 62 ], contributing to the weight loss. In our meta-analysis, the studies of weight all included Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium .…”

Tomato seed extract promotes health of the gut microbiota and demonstrates a potential new way to valorize tomato waste

“…Donors were half female and half male; female donors were 29, 25, and 40 years of age and male donors were 38, 30, and 31 years of age at time of donation. Fresh fecal samples were collected according to a procedure approved by Ethics Committee of the University Hospital Ghent (reference number BC-09977) [ 33 , 34 , 36 ]. Informed consent was given prior to collection on 2/21/2022.…”

“…The effect of TSE on the gut microbiota was tested using the ex vivo SIFR ® technology as described previously [ 34 ]. In short, individual bioreactors were run in parallel in an anaerobic bioreactor management device (Cryptobiotix, Ghent, Belgium) containing 5mL of prepared nutritional media, pH = 6.5, and fecal slurry [ 36 ]. Bioreactors were sealed and incubated for 24 h with continuous agitation at 37°C.…”