Effects of a Lactulose-Rich Diet on Fecal Microbiome and Metabolome in Pregnant Mice

Abstract

Lactulose, a safe and beneficial molecule, can be used in food as a prebiotic and as an osmotic laxative during pregnancy. This work evaluated the effects of dietary lactulose on the gut microenvironment of pregnant mice using the fecal microbiota and metabolomic profiling. After 2 weeks of feeding, the Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides abundances in the mouse feces were significantly increased in the LAC-high (the diet supplemented with 15% lactulose) group. A total of 15 metabolites, including 1-monoolein, glucose-6-phosphate, and short-chain fatty acids, were increased significantly in the LAC-high group. The serum glucose and total cholesterol concentrations were significantly decreased, while the progesterone level was significantly increased in the lactulose-fed mice. In the LAC-high group, the colonic pH and intestinal permeability were decreased, while the immunoglobulins in the colonic epithelial cells and the small intestinal absorption capacity were significantly increased. These findings indicated that lactulose supplementation benefitted pregnancy performance in mice.

Crosstalk between Gut and Brain in Alzheimer’s Disease: The Role of Gut Microbiota Modulation Strategies

“…Fieldhouse et al [104] stated that a suboptimal diet is related to severely impaired cognition, attributed to low vegetable consumption and is pronounced in AD and dementia. Intake of a diet rich in probiotics, plant-based foods, polyphenols, vitamins, antioxidants, and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can delay AD [105], as diet can shape host-associated GM composition [106]. Additionally, low intake of saturated fats, refined sugars, and animalderived proteins is also considered beneficial in this regard [105].…”

Polysaccharides isolated from Laminaria japonica attenuates gestational diabetes mellitus by regulating the gut microbiota in mice

“…A slightly modified form a previously described method was used for the analysis of intestinal microbiota (Zhang et al., 2019). Briefly, the microbial genomic DNAs were extracted from maternal mice feces using OMEGA bacterial DNA Kit (Omega Bio‐tek, Norcross, GA, USA) and DNA quality was checked using 2% agarose gel electrophoresis.…”

Functional food ingredients for control of gestational diabetes mellitus: a review

“…Therefore, a range of FFIs may exert anti-GDM effects by acting similarly to prebiotics. For example, a maternal diet supplemented with lactulose increased the abundance of Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides, with significant increases in the levels of 15 metabolites (including 1-monoolein, glucose-6-phosphate, and short-chain fatty acids) and decreases in serum glucose and total cholesterol concentrations in pregnant mice (Zhang et al, 2019). Wang et al (2019) reported that oligosaccharide-sialic acid relieved GDM by regulating the intestinal microflora, resulting in the generation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).…”