Xylan Prebiotics and the Gut Microbiome Promote Health and Wellbeing: Potential Novel Roles for Pentosan Polysulfate

Abstract

This narrative review highlights the complexities of the gut microbiome and health-promoting properties of prebiotic xylans metabolized by the gut microbiome. In animal husbandry, prebiotic xylans aid in the maintenance of a healthy gut microbiome. This prevents the colonization of the gut by pathogenic organisms obviating the need for dietary antibiotic supplementation, a practice which has been used to maintain animal productivity but which has led to the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria that are passed up the food chain to humans. Seaweed xylan-based animal foodstuffs have been developed to eliminate ruminant green-house gas emissions by gut methanogens in ruminant animals, contributing to atmospheric pollution. Biotransformation of pentosan polysulfate by the gut microbiome converts this semi-synthetic sulfated disease-modifying anti-osteoarthritic heparinoid drug to a prebiotic metabolite that promotes gut health, further extending the therapeutic profile and utility of this therapeutic molecule. Xylans are prominent dietary cereal components of the human diet which travel through the gastrointestinal tract as non-digested dietary fibre since the human genome does not contain xylanolytic enzymes. The gut microbiota however digest xylans as a food source. Xylo-oligosaccharides generated in this digestive process have prebiotic health-promoting properties. Engineered commensal probiotic bacteria also have been developed which have been engineered to produce growth factors and other bioactive factors. A xylan protein induction system controls the secretion of these compounds by the commensal bacteria which can promote gut health or, if these prebiotic compounds are transported by the vagal nervous system, may also regulate the health of linked organ systems via the gut–brain, gut–lung and gut–stomach axes. Dietary xylans are thus emerging therapeutic compounds warranting further study in novel disease prevention protocols.

Synthetic diets containing a single polysaccharide disrupt gut microbial community structure and microbial interaction networks in the American cockroach

“…Diets featuring the hemicellulose xylan induced the largest shifts in alpha diversity, inter-individual variability, and overall community composition (Figure 1). Xylan is a common structural polysaccharide containing a xylose backbone with branching arabinose, glucuronic acid, and/or acetyl groups that has been extensively investigated for prebiotic potential both in livestock and humans [45][46][47][48]. Research investigating xylan degradation ability in gut microbiota mainly focuses on Bacteroides [49][50][51][52][53][54] although select Firmicutes such as Roseburia intestinalis have been identified as key butyrate-producing xylan fermenters [55][56][57].…”

Pentosan Polysulfate Affords Pleotropic Protection to Multiple Cells and Tissues

“…HS is a well-known multifunctional glycosaminoglycan displaying a diverse range of bioactivities [ 19 ] and the pleiotropic properties of PPS mimic the diverse range of bioactivities displayed by HS. A recent publication proposed that the biotransformation of PPS by the gut microbiome converts PPS into health-promoting pre-biotics that may have a role in countering gut dysbiosis and the restoration and maintenance of a healthy gut environment [ 20 ]. The depletion of microbiota with immunomodulatory properties may prolong physiological effects on lung injury through the gut–lung axis [ 21 ].…”

New Biotechnological Forms of Nutritional Supplements Aimed at Improving the Gut Disbiosis and Their Clinical Appraisal

“…At the same time, the gastrointestinal disease is one of the most common reasons for visiting a doctor. Other diseases such as cardiovascular and autoimmune disorders, skin, liver and kidney diseases, allergies, depression, and others are also associated with the gut functioning and flora state [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Microbiota serves as a reliable and objective indicator of a person's health and diet, so it seems essential to restore the disturbed microbiocenosis, employing the nutrition factor [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”