Polysaccharide from Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. (jackfruit) pulp modulates gut microbiota composition and improves short-chain fatty acids production.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of polysaccharide from Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. pulp (JFP-Ps) on gut microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acids production in mice. The microbial communities of V3 and V4 region 16S rRNA gene was amplified by PCR, then sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq PE250 platform and analyzed by multivariate statistical methods. The concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were measured using gas chromatography (GC) equipped with a flame ionization detector (FID). The results showed that JFP-Ps significantly affected the levels of intestinal bacteria, including Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Tenericutes, Deferribacteres and TM7. The concentrations of acetic acid, propionic acid, n-butyric acid and total SCFAs in mouse feces were significantly increased by treatment with JFP-Ps for 2 weeks. These results indicate that JFP-Ps is beneficial to the gut health and can be developed as a functional ingredient in relation to gut health.