State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China.
Food Funct. 2019 Jun 19;10(6):3768-3781. doi: 10.1039/c9fo00587k.
The heavy metal lead (Pb) is a toxic contaminant that induces a range of adverse effects in humans. The present study demonstrated for the first time that dietary supplementation with a galactooligosaccharide (GOS) promotes fecal Pb excretion and reduces Pb accumulation in the blood and tissues of mice. The effects against Pb exposure were also observed in mice that received the fecal microbiota from donors treated with GOS, but were diminished in gut microbiota-depleted mice that received antibiotic pre-treatment, indicating that the protection by GOS administration was dependent on the modulation of the gut microbiota. We also provide evidence that the protective mechanism of GOS supplementation was related to the enhanced abundance of intestinal bacteria with good Pb-binding ability, recovery of the gut barrier function, modulation of bile acid metabolism, and improved essential metal utilization. These results indicate that GOS can be considered a potentially protective prebiotic against Pb toxicity.
重金属铅（Pb）是一种有毒污染物，会对人类造成一系列不良反应。本研究首次表明，膳食补充半乳糖寡糖（GOS）可促进粪便中 Pb 的排泄，并减少血液和组织中 Pb 的积累。在接受 GOS 处理供体粪便微生物群的小鼠中也观察到了对 Pb 暴露的影响，但在接受抗生素预处理的肠道微生物群耗竭的小鼠中，这些影响减弱，表明 GOS 给药的保护作用依赖于肠道微生物群的调节。我们还提供了证据表明，GOS 补充的保护机制与具有良好 Pb 结合能力的肠道细菌丰度增加、肠道屏障功能恢复、胆汁酸代谢调节以及必需金属利用改善有关。这些结果表明，GOS 可以被认为是一种潜在的针对 Pb 毒性的保护性益生元。
