Probiotic Bifidobacterium strains and galactooligosaccharides improve intestinal barrier function in obese adults but show no synergism when used together as synbiotics

• Published in: Microbiome 2018-06, Vol.6 (1), p.121-121, Article 121
• Main Authors: Krumbeck, Janina A, Rasmussen, Heather E, Hutkins, Robert W, Clarke, Jennifer, Shawron, Krista, Keshavarzian, Ali, Walter, Jens
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aspirin; Autochthonous; Bifidobacterium; Bifidobacterium - metabolism; Bifidobacterium animalis; Bifidobacterium longum; Carbohydrates; Clinical trials; Diet; Digestive system; Double-Blind Method; Endotoxemia; Excretion; Female; Galactooligosaccharides; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - genetics; Gastrointestinal tract; Gut barrier function; Humans; Inflammation; Insulin; Intestinal microflora; Intestine; Intestines - microbiology; Intestines - physiology; Lactose; Lactulose; Male; Metabolism; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Middle Aged; Obesity; Oligosaccharides - pharmacology; Permeability; Physiological aspects; Prebiotic; Prebiotics; Prebiotics - administration & dosage; Probiotic; Probiotics; Probiotics - pharmacology; Proteins; RNA; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Rodents; rRNA 16S; Small intestine; Strains (organisms); Sucralose; Sucrose - analogs & derivatives; Sucrose - metabolism; Sugar; Synbiotic; Synbiotics - administration & dosage; Tight Junctions - drug effects; Tight Junctions - microbiology; Urine; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2049-2618; 2049-2618
• DOI: 10.1186/s40168-018-0494-4

One way to improve both the ecological performance and functionality of probiotic bacteria is by combining them with a prebiotic in the form of a synbiotic. However, the degree to which such synbiotic formulations improve probiotic strain functionality in humans has not been tested systematically. Our goal was to use a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm clinical trial in obese humans to compare the ecological and physiological impact of the prebiotic galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and the probiotic strains Bifidobacterium adolescentis IVS-1 (autochthonous and selected via in vivo selection) and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12 (commercial probiotic allochthonous to the human gut) when used on their own or as synbiotic combinations. After 3 weeks of consumption, strain-specific quantitative real-time PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were performed on fecal samples to assess changes in the microbiota. Intestinal permeability was determined by measuring sugar recovery in urine by GC after consumption of a sugar mixture. Serum-based endotoxin exposure was also assessed. IVS-1 reached significantly higher cell numbers in fecal samples than BB-12 (P