Glycom A/S-DSM Nutritional Products Ltd., Kogle Allé 4, 2970 Hørsholm, Denmark.
DSM Nutritional Products Ltd., Wurmisweg 576, 4303 Kaiseraugst, Switzerland.
Nutrients. 2023 Mar 30;15(7):1701. doi: 10.3390/nu15071701.
Prebiotics are substrates that are selectively utilized by host microorganisms, thus conferring a health benefit. There is a growing awareness that interpersonal and age-dependent differences in gut microbiota composition impact prebiotic effects. Due to the interest in using human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) beyond infancy, this study evaluated how HMOs [2'Fucosyllactose (2'FL), Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT), 3'Sialyllactose (3'SL), 6'Sialyllactose (6'SL)] and blends thereof affect the microbiota of 6-year-old children ( = 6) and adults ( = 6), compared to prebiotics inulin (IN) and fructooligosaccharides (FOS). The ex vivo SIFR technology was used, given its demonstrated predictivity in clinical findings. First, HMOs and HMO blends seemed to maintain a higher α-diversity compared to FOS/IN. Further, while 2'FL/LNnT were bifidogenic for both age groups, 3'SL/6'SL and FOS/IN were exclusively bifidogenic for children and adults, respectively. This originated from age-related differences in microbiota composition because while 3'SL/6'SL stimulated (abundant in children), FOS/IN enhanced (abundant in adults). Moreover, all treatments significantly increased acetate, propionate and butyrate (only in adults) with product- and age-dependent differences. Among the HMOs, 6'SL specifically stimulated propionate (linked to in children and in adults), while LNnT stimulated butyrate (linked to in adults). Indole-3-lactic acid and 3-phenyllactic acid (linked to immune health) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (linked to gut-brain axis) were most profoundly stimulated by 2'FL and HMO blends in both children and adults, correlating with specific . Finally, 2'FL/LNnT increased melatonin in children, while 3'SL remarkably increased folic acid in adults. Overall, age-dependent differences in microbiota composition greatly impacted prebiotic outcomes, advocating for the development of age-specific nutritional supplements. HMOs were shown to be promising modulators in the adult, and particularly the children's microbiota. The observed HMO-specific effects, likely originating from their structural heterogeneity, suggest that blends of different HMOs could maximize treatment effects.
益生元是指被宿主微生物选择性利用的物质，从而带来健康益处。人们越来越意识到，肠道微生物群落组成的人际间和年龄依赖性差异会影响益生元的效果。由于人们对人乳寡糖（HMOs）的兴趣超出了婴儿期，因此本研究评估了 2'岩藻糖基乳糖（2'FL）、乳-N-新四糖（LNnT）、3'唾液酸乳糖（3'SL）、6'唾液酸乳糖（6'SL）等 HMO 及其混合物与菊粉（IN）和低聚果糖（FOS）等益生元相比，对 6 岁儿童（=6）和成人（=6）肠道微生物群的影响。鉴于其在临床研究中的预测性，本研究使用了体外 SIFR 技术。首先，与 FOS/IN 相比，HMO 及其混合物似乎维持了更高的 α 多样性。此外，2'FL/LNnT 对两个年龄组都具有双歧杆菌作用，而 3'SL/6'SL 和 FOS/IN 则分别对儿童和成人具有双歧杆菌作用。这源于肠道微生物群落组成的年龄相关性差异，因为 3'SL/6'SL 刺激了（在儿童中丰富），而 FOS/IN 增强了（在成人中丰富）。此外，所有处理均显著增加了乙酸盐、丙酸盐和丁酸盐（仅在成人中），且产物和年龄依赖性差异。在 HMO 中，6'SL 特异性刺激丙酸盐（与儿童中的 相关，与成人中的 相关），而 LNnT 刺激丁酸盐（与成人中的 相关）。吲哚-3-乳酸和 3-苯乳酸（与免疫健康相关）和γ-氨基丁酸（与肠道-大脑轴相关）在儿童和成人中，2'FL 和 HMO 混合物的刺激最为显著，与特定的 相关。最后，2'FL/LNnT 增加了儿童的褪黑素，而 3'SL 显著增加了成人的叶酸。总的来说，肠道微生物群落组成的年龄依赖性差异极大地影响了益生元的效果，提倡开发针对特定年龄段的营养补充剂。HMO 被证明是成人，特别是儿童肠道微生物群的有前途的调节剂。观察到的 HMO 特异性作用可能源自其结构异质性，表明不同 HMO 的混合物可以最大限度地提高治疗效果。
