Synbiotic supplementation and oxalate homeostasis in rats: focus on microbiota oxalate-degrading activity

• Published in: Urolithiasis 2022-06, Vol.50 (3), p.249-258
• Main Authors: Stepanova, Natalia, Akulenko, Iryna, Serhiichuk, Tetyana, Dovbynchuk, Taisa, Savchenko, Svitlana, Tolstanova, Ganna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Ceftriaxone; Feces; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Homeostasis; Humans; Medical Biochemistry; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Microbiota; Nephrology; Original Paper; Oxalates - urine; Probiotics; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Synbiotics; Urology
• ISSN: 2194-7236; 2194-7228; 2194-7236
• DOI: 10.1007/s00240-022-01312-7

The present study aimed (i) to evaluate whether ceftriaxone treatment could affect not only intestinal oxalate-degrading bacteria number but also their total activity to degrade oxalate and influence oxalate homeostasis in rats, (ii) and to estimate the ability of commercially available inulin-contained synbiotic to restore fecal oxalate-degrading activity and ceftriaxone-induced disruption of oxalate homeostasis in rats. Twenty-eight female Wistar rats (200–300 g) were randomly divided into four groups ( n  = 7). Group 1 was treated with vehicle sterile water (0.1 ml, i.m., 14 days); Group 2 received synbiotic (30 mg/kg, per os, 14 days); Group 3 was treated with ceftriaxone (300 mg/kg, i.m., 7 days); Group 4 was supplemented with ceftriaxone and synbiotic. Oxalate-degrading bacteria number and their total activity, urinary and plasma oxalate concentrations were measured on days 1 and 57 after the treatment withdrawal. The redoximetric titration with KMnO 4 was adopted to evaluate the total oxalate-degrading activity in highly selective Oxalate Medium. Ceftriaxone treatment reduced total fecal oxalate-degrading activity independently on oxalate-degrading bacteria number and increased urinary and plasma oxalate concentrations. The synbiotic had higher oxalate-degrading activity vs probiotics and was able to restore fecal oxalate-degrading activity and significantly decrease urinary oxalate excretion in antibiotic-treated rats. Total fecal oxalate-degrading activity but not oxalate-degrading bacteria number should be thoroughly examined in the future to develop predictive diagnostics methods, targeted prevention and personalized treatment in kidney stone disease. Synbiotic supplementation had a beneficial effect on the total oxalate-degrading activity of gut microbiota, which resulted in decreased UOx excretion in rats.