Intestinal fermentation of lactose and prebiotic lactose derivatives, including human milk oligosaccharides

Crystal Structures of a Glycoside Hydrolase Family 20 Lacto-N-biosidase from Bifidobacterium bifidum

“…2, A and B). The pyranose ring of the GlcNAc residue, in LNB, is in the 4 E conformation and that of GlcNAc-thiazoline, in LNB-thiazoline, is in the 4 C 1 conformation (Fig. 2, C and D, discussed below).…”

Nutritional Programming of Probiotics to Promote Health and Well-Being

“…It is commonly used as a laxative in pharmaceutical products for the treatment of constipation, in doses over 20 g/day [16,21]. Nevertheless, human trials have shown that at lower doses, lactulose acts as a prebiotic, reaching the colon and increasing bifidobacteria counts [2,16,17,23]. Although this substance is an established prebiotic, it is still heavily confined to applications as a therapeutic agent.…”

“…The human large intesine is inhabited by a diverse and complex bacterial flora, which includes an outstanding total number of 10 14 cells, >1000 species and a biomass of more than 1 kg [1,2]. Thus, the gut microbiota may be conceived as a specialized 'microbial organ' within the gut, affecting human health and disease through its involvement in pathogenesis, nutrition and immunity of the host [1][2][3].…”

“…Thus, the gut microbiota may be conceived as a specialized 'microbial organ' within the gut, affecting human health and disease through its involvement in pathogenesis, nutrition and immunity of the host [1][2][3]. Recently it has also been recognized that this dynamic yet stable ecosystem plays a role in conditions such as obesity and diabetes as well as in general well-being, from infancy to ageing [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8].…”

“…Thus, the gut microbiota may be conceived as a specialized 'microbial organ' within the gut, affecting human health and disease through its involvement in pathogenesis, nutrition and immunity of the host [1][2][3]. Recently it has also been recognized that this dynamic yet stable ecosystem plays a role in conditions such as obesity and diabetes as well as in general well-being, from infancy to ageing [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Consequently, an increasing number of studies which explore the potential of promoting health by nutrition focuses on possible ways to influence and modulate the composition and activity of the gut flora towards a healthier one [4,[9][10][11][12].…”