Parkinson’s disease patients’ short chain fatty acids production capacity after in vitro fecal fiber fermentation

Abstract

Animal models indicate that butyrate might reduce motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. Some dietary fibers are butyrogenic, but in Parkinson’s disease patients their butyrate stimulating capacity is unknown. Therefore, we investigated different fiber supplements’ effects on short-chain fatty acid production, along with potential underlying mechanisms, in Parkinson’s patients and age-matched healthy controls. Finally, it was investigated if this butyrate production could be confirmed by using fiber-rich vegetables. Different fibers (n = 40) were evaluated by in vitro fermentation experiments with fecal samples of Parkinson’s patients (n = 24) and age-matched healthy volunteers (n = 39). Short-chain fatty acid production was analyzed by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Clostridium coccoides and C. leptum were quantified through 16S-rRNA gene-targeted group-specific qPCR. Factors influencing short-chain fatty acid production were investigated using linear mixed models. After fiber fermentation, butyrate concentration varied between 25.6 ± 16.5 µmol/g and 203.8 ± 91.9 µmol/g for Parkinson’s patients and between 52.7 ± 13.0 µmol/g and 229.5 ± 42.8 µmol/g for controls. Inulin had the largest effect, while xanthan gum had the lowest production. Similar to fiber supplements, inulin-rich vegetables, but also fungal β-glucans, stimulated butyrate production most of all vegetable fibers. Parkinson’s disease diagnosis limited short-chain fatty acid production and was negatively associated with butyrate producers. Butyrate kinetics during 48 h fermentation demonstrated a time lag effect in Parkinson’s patients, especially in fructo-oligosaccharide fermentation. Butyrate production can be stimulated in Parkinson’s patients, however, remains reduced compared to healthy controls. This is a first step in investigating dietary fiber’s potential to increase short-chain fatty acids in Parkinson’s disease.

Gut microbiome alterations in fecal samples of treatment-naïve de novo Parkinson’s disease patients

“…26 Several studies have linked lower levels of SCFA-producing taxa with gut inflammation, epigenetic changes, and depressive symptoms in PD. [27][28][29][30] In concordance, decreased levels of the SCFA-producing genera Butyricoccus, Colidextribacter and the families Butyricoccaceae and Veillonellaceae were found in the current study. On the other hand, the SCFA-producing family Rikenellaceae was increased in PD.…”

The Gut Microbiome in Parkinson’s Disease: A Longitudinal Study of the Impacts on Disease Progression and the Use of Device-Assisted Therapies

“…A meta-analysis of ten international cross-sectional PD GM datasets utilizing 16S rRNA-gene sequencing has recently shown overrepresentation of the genera Lactobacillus, Akkermansia , and Bifidobacterium , whilst underrepresentation of bacteria belonging to the Lachnospiraceae family and the Faecalibacterium genus ( Romano et al, 2021 ). While all of these microbiota produce SCFAs, there are distinct differences in the health impacts of the metabolites produced ( Aho et al, 2021 ; Baert et al, 2021 ). Lower levels of fecal SCFAs in PD patients have been hypothesized to be a consequence of a decreased abundance of SCFA-producing bacteria ( Unger et al, 2016 ; Aho et al, 2021 ; Tan et al, 2021 ), which consequently causes increased gut permeability, inflammation ( Keshavarzian et al, 2015 ) and gastrointestinal dysfunction in PD patients ( Lubomski et al, 2020b ).…”

Axillary Microbiota Is Associated with Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease Patients

“…Our results also suggest a potential association between the increase in propionate biosynthesis by skin microbiota and CI stages in PD. Recently, one line of evidence ( 24 – 26 ) indicates that PD patients have intestinal inflammation and poor fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, which correlates with onset of the disease. Therefore, modulating microbiota using diet and other means is likely to have a restorative effect on SCFA production.…”