Open AccessEffect of lactulose intervention on gut microbiota and short chain fatty acid composition of C57 BL /6J mice
Author(s) -
Zhai Shixiang,
Zhu Limeng,
Qin Song,
Li Lili
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
microbiologyopen
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.881
H-Index - 36
ISSN - 2045-8827
DOI - 10.1002/mbo3.612
Subject(s) - lactulose , gut flora , akkermansia , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , short chain fatty acid , lactobacillus , feces , butyrate , food science , biochemistry , fermentation , genetics
Gut microbiota have strong connections with health. Lactulose has been shown to regulate gut microbiota and benefit host health. In this study, the effect of short‐term (3 week) intervention of lactulose on gut microbiota was investigated. Gut microbiota were detected from mouse feces by 16S rRNA high‐throughput sequencing, and short chain fatty acids ( SCFA s) were detected by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry ( GC ‐ MS ). Lactulose intervention enhanced the α‐diversity of the gut microbiota; increased the abundance of hydrogen‐producing bacteria Prevotellaceae and Rikenellaceae, probiotics Bifidobacteriaceae and Lactobacillaceae, and mucin‐degrading bacteria Akkermansia and Helicobacter ; decreased the abundance of harmful bacteria Desulfovibrionaceae and branched‐chain SCFA s ( BCFA s). These results suggest that lactulose intervention effectively increased the diversity and improved the structure of the intestinal microbiota, which may be beneficial for host health.