Bacterial sensing underlies artificial sweetener‐induced growth of gut Lactobacillus

Abstract

Disruption in stable establishment of commensal gut microbiota by early weaning is an important factor in susceptibility of young animals to enteric disorders. The artificial sweetener SUCRAM [consisting of neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC) and saccharin] included in piglets' feed reduces incidence of enteric disease. Pyrosequencing of pig caecal 16S rRNA gene amplicons identified 25 major families encompassing seven bacterial classes with Bacteroidia, Clostridia and Bacilli dominating the microbiota. There were significant shifts in microbial composition in pigs maintained on a diet containing SUCRAM, establishing SUCRAM as a major influence driving bacterial community dynamics. The most notable change was a significant increase of Lactobacillaceae population abundance, almost entirely due to a single phylotype, designated Lactobacillus 4228. The sweetener-induced increase in Lactobacillaceae was observed in two different breeds of pigs signifying a general effect. We isolated Lactobacillus 4228, sequenced its genome and found it to be related to Lactobacillus amylovorus. In vitro analyses of Lactobacillus 4228 growth characteristics showed that presence of NHDC significantly reduces the lag phase of growth and enhances expression of specific sugar transporters, independently of NHDC metabolism. This study suggests that sensing of NHDC by a bacterial plasma membrane receptor underlies sweetener-induced growth of a health promoting gut bacterium.

Composition and diversity of mucosa‐associated microbiota along the entire length of the pig gastrointestinal tract; dietary influences

“…The supplementation of the diet with the artificial sweetener SUCRAM had a marked effect on the composition of the mucosa‐associated microbiota along the entire length of the intestinal tract, emphasising the conclusion made by Daly et al . () that supplementation of the diet with SUCRAM has a major influence on bacterial community structure in the pig intestine. Indeed, the significant increase in probiotic Lactobacillaceae population abundance reported by Daly et al .…”

“…To investigate the community structure and diversity of pig intestinal mucosa‐associated microbiota, DNA was extracted from mucosal scrapings taken from duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, proximal colon and distal colon of 28‐day‐old piglets weaned to a defined basal diet (BD) and maintained on this diet for a period of 2 weeks (see Materials and methods for animals and Daly et al ., for dietary composition).…”

“…() in the caecal contents of pigs fed the BD + S diet compared with the BD diet, was also observed here both within the caecal lumen and mucosa‐associated microbiota. Our investigation into the underlying mechanisms (Daly et al ., ) demonstrated that NHDC (a sweetener component of SUCRAM) significantly reduces lag phase of growth of Lactobacillus and enhances expression of specific sugar transporters, independent of NHDC metabolism. Our experimental evidence suggested that sensing of NHDC by a bacterial plasma membrane receptor underlies NHDC‐induced proliferation of Lactobacillus (Daly et al .…”

“…Our experimental evidence suggested that sensing of NHDC by a bacterial plasma membrane receptor underlies NHDC‐induced proliferation of Lactobacillus (Daly et al . ).…”

Bacterial Diversity in Traditional Doogh in Comparison to Industrial Doogh

“…Positive prebiotic properties on tumors and ulcer as well as an immune stimulating and cholesterol-decreasing effect have been proved [35]. Studies showed that some Lactobacillus amylovorus strains isolated from pig fecal had a high tolerance to low pH and bile salts, with antimicrobial properties by bacteriocins and lactic acid production [7, 19]. Omar et al suggested that consuming L. amylovorus as a probiotic yoghurt has the capability to induce total body fat loss by decreasing gut microbial abundance of clostridia [25].…”