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Effects of β-glucan, probiotics, and synbiotics on obesity-associated colitis and hepatic manifestations in C57BL/6J mice

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Abstract

Purpose

Probiotics and prebiotics are commonly used to improve the gut microbiota. Since prebiotics can support the growth of probiotics, co-administration of these is called synbiotics. It has been demonstrated that obesity-induced gut dysbiosis can worsen inflammatory bowel disease symptoms. This study evaluated how modulation of gut microbiota with Schizophyllum commune-derived β-glucan (BG), probiotics (PRO), and synbiotics containing both BG and PRO (SYN) could improve the symptoms of obesity-associated colitis and hepatic manifestation.

Methods

Mice were fed a normal diet (ND), high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD with different additives (BG, PRO, and SYN) for 12 weeks, followed by 5 days of colitis induction. Mice were sacrificed before and after colitis induction. During the experiment, body weight, food and water consumption, and rectal bleeding were monitored. Proteins from the colon were subjected to western blotting, and serum biomarkers such as alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, triglycerides, and total cholesterol were analyzed. Colon and liver samples were sectioned for histological analysis. The fecal microbiota was analyzed based on partial 16S rRNA gene sequences.

Results

Although BG and PRO secured intestinal tight junctions, these two treatments did not modulate inflammatory cell infiltration and inflammatory markers (i.e., IL-6 and TNF-α). In contrast, SYN demonstrated stronger and broader effects in reducing colonic inflammation. While BG treatment increased the abundance of indigenous Lactobacillus, PRO treatment decreased bacterial diversity by suppressing the growth of several species of bacteria. SYN treatment groups, however, supported the growth of both indigenous and supplemented bacteria while maintaining bacterial diversity.

Conclusion

Obesity-associated colitis can be improved by modulating gut bacteria with β-glucan and probiotics. The co-administration of both outperformed β-glucan and probiotic treatment alone by fostering both indigenous and supplemented probiotic strains.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (NRF-2020R1I1A3072840). We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.co.kr) for English language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Advanced Convergence Technology and Science, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63241, Republic of Korea

    Vuong Vu & Moonjae Cho

  2. Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63243, Republic of Korea

    Karthika Muthuramalingam, Young Mee Kim & Moonjae Cho

  3. Faculty of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, SARI, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63243, Republic of Korea

    Vineet Singh & Tatsuya Unno

  4. Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, 690-756, South Korea

    Changlim Hyun

  5. Subtropical/Tropical Organism Gene Bank, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63243, Republic of Korea

    Tatsuya Unno

  6. Institute of Medical Science, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63241, Republic of Korea

    Moonjae Cho

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  1. Vuong Vu
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  2. Karthika Muthuramalingam
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  4. Changlim Hyun
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  5. Young Mee Kim
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  6. Tatsuya Unno
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  7. Moonjae Cho
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Contributions

VV performed the experiments, collected and analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. KM assisted in performing the experiments and data collection in the in vivo study. SV and TU performed fecal microbiota analysis and drafted the microbial results. HC performed histological analysis of colon tissues. YMK planned and supervised the study. TU and MJC conceived and designed the analysis and proofread the manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Tatsuya Unno or Moonjae Cho.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC No. 2018-0018) at Jeju National University.

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Vu, V., Muthuramalingam, K., Singh, V. et al. Effects of β-glucan, probiotics, and synbiotics on obesity-associated colitis and hepatic manifestations in C57BL/6J mice. Eur J Nutr 61, 793–807 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-021-02668-z

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