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      Mechanisms of Action of Prebiotics and Their Effects on Gastro-Intestinal Disorders in Adults

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          Abstract

          In recent years, research has focused on the use of dietary fibers and prebiotics, since many of these polysaccharides can be metabolized by intestinal microbiota, leading to the production of short-chain fatty acids. The metabolites of prebiotic fermentation also show anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory capabilities, suggesting an interesting role in the treatment of several pathological conditions. Galacto-oligosaccharide and short- and long-chain fructans (Fructo-oligosaccharides and inulin) are the most studied prebiotics, even if other dietary compounds seem to show the same features. There is an increasing interest in dietary strategies to modulate microbiota. The aim of this review is to explore the mechanisms of action of prebiotics and their effects on the principal gastro-intestinal disorders in adults, with a special focus on Galacto-oligosaccharides, Fructo-oligosaccharides, lactulose and new emerging substances which currently have evidence of prebiotics effects, such as xilooligosaccharides, soybean oligosaccharides, isomaltooligosaccharides, lactobionic acid, resistant starch and polyphenols.

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          Dietary modulation of the human colonic microbiota: updating the concept of prebiotics.

          Glenn R. Gibson, Hollie Probert, Jan Van Loo … (2004)
          Prebiotics are non-digestible (by the host) food ingredients that have a beneficial effect through their selective metabolism in the intestinal tract. Key to this is the specificity of microbial changes. The present paper reviews the concept in terms of three criteria: (a) resistance to gastric acidity, hydrolysis by mammalian enzymes and gastrointestinal absorption; (b) fermentation by intestinal microflora; (c) selective stimulation of the growth and/or activity of intestinal bacteria associated with health and wellbeing. The conclusion is that prebiotics that currently fulfil these three criteria are fructo-oligosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides and lactulose, although promise does exist with several other dietary carbohydrates. Given the range of food vehicles that may be fortified by prebiotics, their ability to confer positive microflora changes and the health aspects that may accrue, it is important that robust technologies to assay functionality are used. This would include a molecular-based approach to determine flora changes. The future use of prebiotics may allow species-level changes in the microbiota, an extrapolation into genera other than the bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, and allow preferential use in disease-prone areas of the body.
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            Classification and measurement of nutritionally important starch fractions.

            G M Kingman, J. Cummings, H N Englyst (1992)
            For nutritional purposes, starch in foods may be classified into rapidly digestible starch (RDS), slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS). RS may be further divided into three categories according to the reason for resistance to digestion. A method is reported for the measurement of total starch, RDS, SDS, RS and three RS fractions in starchy foods, using controlled enzymic hydrolysis with pancreatin and amyloglucosidase. The released glucose is measured by colorimetry, using a glucose oxidase kit. Values for RDS and SDS in foods obtained by the method reflect the rate of starch digestion in vivo. Values for RS are similar to the amounts of starch escaping digestion in the small intestine of ileostomates, and are a guide to the amounts of starch likely to enter the colon for fermentation. Results are given for a number of starchy foods.
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              Effect of inulin on the human gut microbiota: stimulation of Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.

              Carlett Ramirez-Farias, Kathleen Slezak, Zoë Fuller … (2009)
              Prebiotics are food ingredients that improve health by modulating the colonic microbiota. The bifidogenic effect of the prebiotic inulin is well established; however, it remains unclear which species of Bifidobacterium are stimulated in vivo and whether bacterial groups other than lactic acid bacteria are affected by inulin consumption. Changes in the faecal microbiota composition were examined by real-time PCR in twelve human volunteers after ingestion of inulin (10 g/d) for a 16-d period in comparison with a control period without any supplement intake. The prevalence of most bacterial groups examined did not change after inulin intake, although the low G+C % Gram-positive species Faecalibacterium prausnitzii exhibited a significant increase (10.3% for control period v. 14.5% during inulin intake, P=0.019). The composition of the genus Bifidobacterium was studied in four of the volunteers by clone library analysis. Between three and five Bifidobacterium spp. were found in each volunteer. Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Bifidobacterium longum were present in all volunteers, and Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum, Bifidobacterium animalis, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium dentium were also detected. Real-time PCR was employed to quantify the four most prevalent Bifidobacterium spp., B. adolescentis, B. longum, B. pseudocatenulatum and B. bifidum, in ten volunteers carrying detectable levels of bifidobacteria. B. adolescentis showed the strongest response to inulin consumption, increasing from 0.89 to 3.9% of the total microbiota (P=0.001). B. bifidum was increased from 0.22 to 0.63% (P<0.001) for the five volunteers for whom this species was present.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Journal ID (nlm-ta): Nutrients
                Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Nutrients
                Journal ID (publisher-id): nutrients
                Title: Nutrients
                Publisher: MDPI
                ISSN (Electronic): 2072-6643
                Publication date (Electronic): 09 April 2020
                Publication date Collection: April 2020
                Volume: 12
                Issue: 4
                Electronic Location Identifier: 1037
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Gastroenterology Unit, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, via Álvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy; m.guarino@ 123456unicampus.it (M.P.L.G.); s.emerenziani@ 123456unicampus.it (S.E.); m.ribolsi@ 123456unicampus.it (M.R.); p.balestrieri@ 123456unicampus.it (P.B.); giuliarocchi4@ 123456gmail.com (G.R.); m.cicala@ 123456unicampus.it (M.C.)
                [2 ]Unit of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Via Álvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy; c.dirosa@ 123456unicampus.it
                [3 ]Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry Scuola Medica Salernitana, Università di Salerno, Via Allende, 84081 Salerno, Italy; piovino@ 123456unisa.it
                Author notes
                [* ]Correspondence: a.altomare@ 123456unicampus.it ; Tel.: +39-06-22541-606; Fax: +39-06-22541-456
                Author information
                https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8630-7836
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9568-0680
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5370-2642
                Article
                Publisher ID: nutrients-12-01037
                DOI: 10.3390/nu12041037
                PMC ID: 7231265
                PubMed ID: 32283802
                SO-VID: 8ae76225-6a43-4a11-9157-239603321c1e
                Copyright © © 2020 by the authors.
                License:

                Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

                History
                Date received : 19 March 2020
                Date accepted : 06 April 2020
                Categories
                Subject: Review

                ScienceOpen disciplines: Nutrition & Dietetics
                Keywords: prebiotics,gastro-intestinal disorders,intestinal microbiota,oxidative stress
                Data availability:
                ScienceOpen disciplines: Nutrition & Dietetics
                Keywords: prebiotics, gastro-intestinal disorders, intestinal microbiota, oxidative stress

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