Regulatory Roles of Pectin Oligosaccharides on Immunoglobulin Production in Healthy Mice Mediated by Gut Microbiota

Abstract

Scope: The prebiotic regulation of the gut microbiota is a promising strategy to induce protective humoral and mucosal immune responses. The potential immune-improving effects of pectin oligosaccharides (POS) in healthy mice and the potential mechanism mediated by specific intestinal bacteria are investigated. Methods and results: POS is prepared using a hydrogen-peroxide-assisted degradation. Mice that consumed diets containing POS are tested for microbial community shifts, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and immunoglobulin (Ig) production using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, gas chromatography, and ELISA kits. Pearson's correlation analyses are performed between Ig production and specific intestinal bacteria or SCFAs. POS treatment significantly improves the growth of healthy mice. Moreover, 4-week POS administration results in a profound change in intestinal microbial composition and a significantly higher fecal concentration of acetate, which leads to substantial increases of the levels of fecal secretory immunoglobulin A and serum IgG. Conclusions: The results suggest that the inclusion of POS in a diet can increase Ig production and optimize the composition of the gut microbiota. A significant correlation is observed between changes in Ig production and specific intestinal bacteria or acetate, providing insight into the mechanism of POS as a potential immune-enhancing supplement. Keywords gut microbiota, pectin oligosaccharides, secretory immunoglobulin A, serum IgG, short-chain fatty acids

Modulation of Pectin on Mucosal Innate Immune Function in Pigs Mediated by Gut Microbiota

“…Absolute production of sIgA in the intestine exceeds the sum of all other antibody classes, and sIgA can eliminate pathogenic bacteria by stimulating mucosal layer formation. In a rodent model, higher fecal sIgA concentrations were found in PEC-supplemented mice, compared to cellulose-supplemented groups [61]. The significant correlation observed between the concentration of sIgA and acetate (p < 0.04) revealed that SCFAs stimulated sIgA production in response to PEC.…”

Oligosaccharides and Complex Carbohydrates: A New Paradigm for Cranberry Bioactivity

“…In the gut, cranberry oligosaccharides and higher MW dietary fibers are likely to be degraded and metabolized by pathways used by bacteria for the fermentation of similar compounds from other dietary sources [111,162,269,270]. Numerous investigations of other dietary oligosaccharides and complex carbohydrates [166,182,190,191,194,201,[271][272][273][274] also report bioactivity and fermentation results consistent with those observed for cranberry oligosaccharides, specifically, and for whole cranberry materials that contain oligosaccharides and other complex carbohydrates. Consideration must therefore be given to the possible effects of cranberry oligosaccharides and other complex carbohydrates on gut and UT microbiota profiles and the resulting health benefits.…”

“…These effects on peritoneal immune cells [143] are reminiscent of those observed by Bode et al [236], who reported that milk oligosaccharides were able to exert anti-inflammatory action by binding to monocytes, lymphocytes and neutrophils and thereby preventing the binding of these immune cells to endothelial cells. Prebiotic effects (see Section 5.1) such as those observed for pectic oligosaccharides from other dietary sources [194] may also contribute to some of the findings of Popov et al [143].…”

“…Various dietary oligosaccharides have also been shown to have direct effects on metabolic disease parameters and host immune responses that lead to host health benefits. These effects on overall host health subsequently impact microbial communities as a result of changes in host metabolism and cellular responses [188,189,[194][195][196][197]. For example, the prevention of oxidation and inflammation-associated damage in the gut could protect epithelial cells from subsequent microbial invasion by promoting normal cellular function [197].…”

“…These effects are consistent with those observed for human milk oligosaccharides [236,237], and may be additionally significant due to the likely presence of cranberry oligosaccharides in both systemic circulation and urine (see Section 3.2). Many of the general health benefits of cranberry materials with regards to metabolic diseases are consistent with those of oligosaccharides and other dietary fibers from various plant sources and interested readers are encouraged to consider the following reviews and studies [194,195,197,[238][239][240].…”