College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
Institute of Disease Control and Prevention, PLA, China.
Food Funct. 2018 Mar 1;9(3):1612-1620. doi: 10.1039/c7fo01720k. Epub 2018 Feb 21.
Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are prebiotics that positively affect the host's gut microbiota, which is important for the health of the host. Most previous studies focused on specific flora components (e.g. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus); very few have investigated the relationship between flora and metabolites. Here, we used 16S rRNA analysis and metabolomics to analyze the effect of GOS on microbiota and metabolites. Results show that the abundance of Ruminococcaceae and Oscillibacter decreased significantly in GOS-fed mice. Twenty-one metabolites, including oleic acid, arachidic acid, and behenic acid, decreased significantly in the GOS-fed mice. Fatty acid synthesis and blood triglyceride content significantly decreased in the GOS-fed mice compared with those in the control mice, suggesting that GOS may improve lipid metabolism in mice. Additionally, after three weeks of a GOS-rich diet, the mouse microbiota was significantly enriched in Alloprevotella, Bacteroides, and Parasutterella. The blood glucose level of the GOS-fed group was significantly higher than that of the control group, whereas the abundance of Coprococcus and Odoribacter (butyrate-producing bacteria) was significantly decreased. The metabolism of butyrate, known to reduce plasma glucose levels, was significantly downregulated in the GOS-fed mice, an effect potentially detrimental to the glucose metabolism of the host. This dual-omics analysis provided important information on the changes in host-microbe-metabolite interactions resulting from GOS supplementation. Our results provide evidence that GOS may improve lipid metabolism, and that long-term GOS supplementation had a detrimental effect on the host's glucose metabolism, which could be important for optimizing methods of prebiotic supplementation and developing approaches to prevent diseases using prebiotic interventions.
半乳糖寡糖（GOS）是一种有益于宿主肠道微生物群的益生元，而肠道微生物群对宿主健康非常重要。之前的大多数研究都集中在特定的菌群成分（例如双歧杆菌和乳杆菌）上；很少有研究调查菌群和代谢物之间的关系。在这里，我们使用 16S rRNA 分析和代谢组学来分析 GOS 对微生物群和代谢物的影响。结果表明，GOS 喂养的小鼠中，瘤胃球菌科和 Oscillibacter 的丰度显著降低。在 GOS 喂养的小鼠中，有 21 种代谢物（包括油酸、花生酸和山嵛酸）显著减少。与对照组相比，GOS 喂养的小鼠脂肪酸合成和血液甘油三酯含量显著降低，表明 GOS 可能改善了小鼠的脂质代谢。此外，在富含 GOS 的饮食三周后，小鼠微生物群中 Alloprevotella、Bacteroides 和 Parasutterella 的丰度显著增加。GOS 喂养组的血糖水平明显高于对照组，而 Coprococcus 和 Odoribacter（产生丁酸的细菌）的丰度明显降低。众所周知，丁酸的代谢会降低血浆葡萄糖水平，而 GOS 喂养的小鼠中丁酸的代谢明显下调，这可能对宿主的葡萄糖代谢有害。这种双重组学分析提供了有关 GOS 补充引起的宿主-微生物-代谢物相互作用变化的重要信息。我们的结果表明，GOS 可能改善脂质代谢，而长期 GOS 补充对宿主的葡萄糖代谢有不利影响，这对于优化益生元补充方法和开发使用益生元干预预防疾病的方法可能很重要。
