Multi-omics insights into anti-colitis benefits of the synbiotic and postbiotic derived from wheat bran arabinoxylan and Limosilactobacillus reuteri

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules 2024-10, Vol.278 (Pt 3), p.134860, Article 134860
• Main Authors: Zhou, Lanqi, Song, Wei, Liu, Tianqi, Yan, Tao, He, Ziyan, He, Weitai, Lv, Jiayao, Zhang, Shiyi, Dai, Xiaoshuang, Yuan, Li, Shi, Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Intestinal inflammation; Limosilactobacillus reuteri; Tryptophan metabolism; Wheat bran arabinoxylan
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.134860

Exploring nutritional therapies that manipulate tryptophan metabolism to activate AhR signaling represents a promising approach for mitigating chronic colitis. Arabinoxylan is a bioactive constituent abundant in wheat bran. Here, we comprehensively investigated anti-colitis potentials of wheat bran arabinoxylan (WBAX), its synbiotic and postbiotic derived from WBAX and Limosilactobacillus reuteri WX-94 (i.e., a probiotic strain exhibiting tryptophan metabolic activity). WBAX fueled L. reuteri and promoted microbial conversion of tryptophan to AhR ligands during in vitro fermentation in the culture medium and in the fecal microbiota from type 2 diabetes. The WBAX postbiotic outperformed WBAX and its synbiotic in augmenting efficacy of tryptophan in restoring DSS-disturbed serum immune markers, colonic tight junction proteins and gene profiles involved in amino acid metabolism and FoxO signaling. The WBAX postbiotic remodeled gut microbiota and superiorly enhanced AhR ligands (i.e., indole metabolites and bile acids), alongside with elevation in colonic AhR and IL-22. Associations between genera and metabolites modified by the postbiotic and colitis in human were verified and strong binding capacities between metabolites and colitis-related targets were demonstrated by molecular docking. Our study advances the novel perspective of WBAX in manipulating tryptophan metabolism and anti-colitis potentials of WBAX postbiotic via promoting gut microbiota-dependent AhR signaling. •WBAX fueled tryptophan metabolizing strain L. reuteri and boosted conversion of tryptophan to AhR ligands in vitro.•WBAX synbiotic and postbiotic offered additional advantages beyond tryptophan in reversing colitis phenotypes in vivo.•WBAX synbiotic and postbiotic affected colonic genes involved in amino acid metabolism, and diversely remodeled gut microbiota.•WBAX postbiotic effectively elevated colonic AhR ligands, short chain fatty acids, activated AhR/IL-22 signaling.•Binding energy between the postbiotic modulated metabolites and colitis-related targets were demonstrated by molecular docking.