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Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Carbohydrates".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (17 December 2021) | Viewed by 29606

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Dr. Ana Isabel Alvarez-Mercado

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

1. Center of Biomedical Research, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology “José Mataix”, University of Granada, Avda. del Conocimiento s/n., Armilla, 18016 Granada, Spain
2. Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Granada, 18014 Granada, Spain
3. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, School of Pharmacy, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: microbiota; cancer; metabolic disorders; gut microbiota; diet; liver
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Dr. Julio Plaza-Díaz

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Guest Editor

Children's Hospital Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
Interests: microbiota; cancer; metabolic disorders; gut microbiota; diet
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The community of microorganisms that subsists within the gastrointestinal (GI) ecosystem is called the intestinal microbiota. In human health, the role of the gastrointestinal microbiota is to maintain a dynamic balance with the host, playing both local and remote roles in important physiological processes, particularly inflammation, and the immune response.

Polysaccharides are the most abundant dietary components in the gut microbiota and are deeply involved in host health. Emerging evidence shows the involvement of polysaccharides in numerous functions in gut microbiota-host symbiosis, such as microbial interactions with endogenous host glycans, and the important role of microbial polysaccharides. Additionally, bacterial polysaccharides act as immunomodulators, and host-derived polysaccharides not only protect host cells from pathogenic microbial neighbours but also affect overall gut health through interactions with gut microbes. In the course of intestinal fermentation, polysaccharides (among others) can promote the growth of certain intestinal bacteria, thus changing the profile of the intestinal microbiota and affecting the physiology of the host both locally and remotely, which can contribute to the development of diseases.

We welcome different types of manuscript submissions, including original research articles and up-to-date reviews (systematic reviews and meta-analyses).

Potential topics may include but are not limited to the mechanisms of action involving changes in microbiota affected by polysaccharides or vice versa, associations between dietary polysaccharides and health. Mechanisms through which polysaccharides may affect host-microbe symbiosis in the gut, resulting in metabolic disorders. The exploration of polysaccharides as potential functional biomaterials for manipulating the gut microbiome.

Dr. Ana Isabel Alvarez-Mercado
Dr. Julio Plaza-Díaz
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Polysaccharides
Microbiota
Microbiome
Metabolic disorders
Diet
Health
Microbiota-host symbiosis

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 214 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem

by Ana I. Álvarez-Mercado and Julio Plaza-Diaz

Nutrients 2022, 14(20), 4285; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14204285 - 14 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1314

Abstract

The intestinal microbiota is a community of microorganisms that subsists within the gastrointestinal ecosystem [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem)

Research

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15 pages, 1434 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Fiber Consumption Mediates Differences in Several Gut Microbes in a Subpopulation of Young Mexican Adults

by Avilene Rodríguez-Lara, Julio Plaza-Díaz, Patricia López-Uriarte, Alejandra Vázquez-Aguilar, Zyanya Reyes-Castillo and Ana I. Álvarez-Mercado

Nutrients 2022, 14(6), 1214; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14061214 - 13 Mar 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2938

Abstract

Diet is a determinant for bodyweight and gut microbiota composition. Changes in dietary patterns are useful for the prevention and management of overweight and obesity. We aim to evaluate diet behavior and its potential association with selected gut bacteria and body weight among Mexican young adults. Mexican college students aged between 18 and 25 (normal-weight, overweight, and obese) were recruited. Anthropometric variables were recorded. A validated food frequency questionnaire was applied to all the participants. The percentages of macronutrients, fiber, and energy were calculated, and fecal samples were analyzed by real-time-qPCR to quantify selected gut bacteria. All the participants showed an unbalanced dietary pattern. However, the consumption of fruits, non-fat cereals, and oils and fats without protein were higher in the normal-weight individuals. In the overweight/obese participants, fiber intake did not correlate with the microbial variables, while Kcal from protein and Clostridium leptum correlated positively with Lactobacillus. Similarly, Clostridium coccoides-Eubacterium rectale correlated with Akkermansia muciniphila. In the normal-weight participants, Clostridium leptum and Lactobacillus correlated positively with Clostridium coccoides-Eubacterium rectale and Bifidobacterium, respectively, and Bacteroidetes negatively with Akkermansia muciniphila. In conclusion, a higher fiber intake had a positive impact on body weight and bacterial gut composition in this Mexican population of college students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem)

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16 pages, 2137 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Gut Microbial Enterotypes on the Association between Habitual Dietary Fiber Intake and Insulin Resistance Markers in Mexican Children and Adults

by Jennifer N. Martinez-Medina, Regina Flores-Lopez, Blanca E. López-Contreras, Hugo Villamil-Ramirez, Daniela Guzman-Muñoz, Luis R. Macias-Kauffer, Paola León-Mimila, Omar Granados-Portillo, Blanca E. Del-Rio-Navarro, Francisco J. Gómez-Perez, Carlos A. Aguilar-Salinas, Nimbe Torres, Armando R. Tovar, Samuel Canizales-Quinteros and Sofia Moran-Ramos

Nutrients 2021, 13(11), 3892; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13113892 - 29 Oct 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3071

Abstract

Dietary fiber (DF) is a major substrate for the gut microbiota that contributes to metabolic health. Recent studies have shown that diet–metabolic phenotype effect might be related to individual gut microbial profiles or enterotypes. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine whether microbial enterotypes modify the association between DF intake and metabolic traits. This cross-sectional study included 204 children (6–12 years old) and 75 adults (18–60 years old). Habitual DF intake was estimated with a Food Frequency Questionnaire and biochemical, clinical and anthropometric data were obtained. Gut microbiota was assessed through 16S sequencing and participants were stratified by enterotypes. Correlations adjusting for age and sex were performed to test the associations between dietary fiber components intake and metabolic traits. In children and adults from the Prevotella enterotype, a nominal negative correlation of hemicellulose intake with insulin and HOMA-IR levels was observed (p < 0.05), while in individuals of the other enterotypes, these associations were not observed. Interestingly, the latter effect was not related to the fecal short-chain-fatty acids profile. Our results contribute to understanding the enterotype influence on the diet–phenotype interaction, which ultimate could provide evidence for their use as potential biomarkers for future precision nutrition strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem)

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19 pages, 11932 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fine Carbohydrate Structure of Dietary Resistant Glucans Governs the Structure and Function of Human Gut Microbiota

by Arianna D. Romero Marcia, Tianming Yao, Ming-Hsu Chen, Renee E. Oles and Stephen R. Lindemann

Nutrients 2021, 13(9), 2924; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13092924 - 24 Aug 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2795

Abstract

Increased dietary fiber consumption has been shown to increase human gut microbial diversity, but the mechanisms driving this effect remain unclear. One possible explanation is that microbes are able to divide metabolic labor in consumption of complex carbohydrates, which are composed of diverse glycosidic linkages that require specific cognate enzymes for degradation. However, as naturally derived fibers vary in both sugar composition and linkage structure, it is challenging to separate out the impact of each of these variables. We hypothesized that fine differences in carbohydrate linkage structure would govern microbial community structure and function independently of variation in glycosyl residue composition. To test this hypothesis, we fermented commercially available soluble resistant glucans, which are uniformly composed of glucose linked in different structural arrangements, in vitro with fecal inocula from each of three individuals. We measured metabolic outputs (pH, gas, and short-chain fatty acid production) and community structure via 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. We determined that community metabolic outputs from identical glucans were highly individual, emerging from divergent initial microbiome structures. However, specific operational taxonomic units (OTUs) responded similarly in growth responses across individuals’ microbiota, though in context-dependent ways; these data suggested that certain taxa were more efficient in competing for some structures than others. Together, these data support the hypothesis that variation in linkage structure, independent of sugar composition, governs compositional and functional responses of microbiota. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem)

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14 pages, 2984 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seaweed Dietary Fiber Sodium Alginate Suppresses the Migration of Colonic Inflammatory Monocytes and Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome via the Gut Microbiota

by Ryuta Ejima, Masahiro Akiyama, Hiroki Sato, Sawako Tomioka, Kyosuke Yakabe, Tatsuki Kimizuka, Natsumi Seki, Yumiko Fujimura, Akiyoshi Hirayama, Shinji Fukuda, Koji Hase and Yun-Gi Kim

Nutrients 2021, 13(8), 2812; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082812 - 16 Aug 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5071

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multifactorial chronic metabolic disorder that affects approximately one billion people worldwide. Recent studies have evaluated whether targeting the gut microbiota can prevent MetS. This study aimed to assess the ability of dietary fiber to control MetS by modulating gut microbiota composition. Sodium alginate (SA) is a seaweed-derived dietary fiber that suppresses high-fat diet (HFD)-induced MetS via an effect on the gut microbiota. We observed that SA supplementation significantly decreased body weight gain, cholesterol levels, and fat weight, while improving glucose tolerance in HFD-fed mice. SA changed the gut microbiota composition and significantly increased the abundance of Bacteroides. Antibiotic treatment completely abolished the suppressive effects of SA on MetS. Mechanistically, SA decreased the number of colonic inflammatory monocytes, which promote MetS development, in a gut microbiota-dependent manner. The abundance of Bacteroides was negatively correlated with that of inflammatory monocytes and positively correlated with the levels of several gut metabolites. The present study revealed a novel food function of SA in preventing HFD-induced MetS through its action on gut microbiota. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem)

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21 pages, 9032 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Role of Dietary Nutritional Treatment on Hepatic and Intestinal Damage in Transplantation with Steatotic and Non-Steatotic Liver Grafts from Brain Dead Donors

by Marc Micó-Carnero, Araní Casillas-Ramírez, Albert Caballeria-Casals, Carlos Rojano-Alfonso, Alfredo Sánchez-González and Carmen Peralta

Nutrients 2021, 13(8), 2554; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082554 - 26 Jul 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3038

Abstract

Herein, we investigate whether: (1) the administration of glucose or a lipid emulsion is useful in liver transplantation (LT) using steatotic (induced genetically or nutritionally) or non-steatotic livers from donors after brain death (DBDs); and (2) any such benefits are due to reductions in intestinal damage and consequently to gut microbiota preservation. In recipients from DBDs, we show increased hepatic damage and failure in the maintenance of ATP, glycogen, phospholipid and growth factor (HGF, IGF1 and VEGFA) levels, compared to recipients from non-DBDs. In recipients of non-steatotic grafts from DBDs, the administration of glucose or lipids did not protect against hepatic damage. This was associated with unchanged ATP, glycogen, phospholipid and growth factor levels. However, the administration of lipids in steatotic grafts from DBDs protected against damage and ATP and glycogen drop and increased phospholipid levels. This was associated with increases in growth factors. In all recipients from DBDs, intestinal inflammation and damage (evaluated by LPS, vascular permeability, mucosal damage, TLR4, TNF, IL1, IL-10, MPO, MDA and edema formation) was not shown. In such cases, potential changes in gut microbiota would not be relevant since neither inflammation nor damage was evidenced in the intestine following LT in any of the groups evaluated. In conclusion, lipid treatment is the preferable nutritional support to protect against hepatic damage in steatotic LT from DBDs; the benefits were independent of alterations in the recipient intestine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem)

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14 pages, 2166 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Supplementation with Fermented Brassica rapa L. Stimulates Defecation Accompanying Change in Colonic Bacterial Community Structure

by Sachi Tanaka, Kana Yamamoto, Chisato Hamajima, Fuka Takahashi, Katsunori Endo and Yutaka Uyeno

Nutrients 2021, 13(6), 1847; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13061847 - 28 May 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2676

Abstract

Our previous studies have elucidated that oral administration of Brassica rapa L. extract, known as Nozawana in Japan, alters immune responses and gut microbiota composition, increasing the numbers of butyrate-producing bacteria. Therefore, further investigation would help elucidate the mechanism attributable for the changes and health-promoting effects observed after B rapa L. extract ingestion. To reveal the modulation effects of fermented B. rapa L. on immune function and intestinal bacterial community structure, we conducted an intervention study with healthy volunteers followed by a mouse feeding study. The pilot intervention study was conducted for healthy volunteers aged 40–64 years under the hypothesis that the number of subjects exhibiting any change in gut microbiota in response to fermented B. rapa L. consumption may be limited. In total, 20 volunteers consumed 30 g of fermented B. rapa L. per day for 4 weeks. The fecal bacterial community composition of the volunteers was characterized using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism patterning followed by clustering analysis. To evaluate the detailed changes in the immune responses and the gut bacterial composition, assessed by high-throughput sequencing, we fed healthy mice with freeze-dried, fermented B. rapa L. for 2 weeks. The fecal bacterial community composition of the volunteers before the intervention was divided into three clades. Regardless of the clade, the defecation frequency significantly increased during the intervention weeks compared with that before the intervention. However, this clustering detected a specific increase of Prevotella in one cluster (low to zero Prevotella and high occupation of Clostridium at clusters IV and XIVa) post-ingestion. The cytokine production of spleen cells significantly increased due to feeding fermented B. rapa L. to the mice. This supplementary in vivo trial provided comparable results to the volunteer study regarding the effects of ingestion of the material given the compositional change complying with that of dietary fiber, particularly in the increase of genera Prevotella, Lachnospira, and genera in the Ruminococcaceae family, and the increase in daily defecation amount during 2 weeks of administration. We conclude that feeding fermented B. rapa L. may be responsible for the observed modulation in gut microbiota to increase fiber-degrading bacteria and butyrate-producing bacteria which may be relevant to the improvement in bowel function such as defecation frequency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem)

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17 pages, 1423 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Whole-Grain and Sugar Content in Infant Cereals on Gut Microbiota at Weaning: A Randomized Trial

by Julio Plaza-Diaz, Maria Jose Bernal, Sophie Schutte, Empar Chenoll, Salvador Genovés, Francisco M. Codoñer, Angel Gil and Luis Manuel Sanchez-Siles

Nutrients 2021, 13(5), 1496; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051496 - 28 Apr 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4669

Abstract

The introduction of complementary foods during infancy marks an important step in the development of the infant gut microbiome. Infant cereals are popular weaning foods but consistent evidence on their effect on the intestinal microbiota, especially when differing in nutritional quality, is lacking. Fecal samples from 4–7-month-old Spanish infants who consumed infant cereals differing in whole grain and sugar content as first weaning foods were analyzed on changes in microbial composition by massively parallel sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene at baseline and after 7 weeks of intervention. Samples were obtained from a previous trial conducted in Spain demonstrating whole-grain cereal acceptability. In total, samples of 18 infants consuming 0% whole grain cereals with 24 g sugar (0-WG) and 25 infants consuming 50% whole grain cereals with 12 g sugar (50-WG) were analyzed. Microbial composition changed significantly over time (p = 0.001), per intervention group (p = 0.029) and per infant (p = 0.001). Abundance of genus Veillonella increased in both groups while Enterococcus decreased. Within the 0-WG group, phylum Actinobacteria decreased along with genus Bifidobacterium. In the 50-WG, we observed an increase in Lachnoclostridium and Bacteroides. In addition, 50-WG decreased Proteobacteria and Escherichia to levels lower than 0-WG. Although weaning itself appeared to be responsible for most changes, the increased presence of anaerobic fermenters together with inhibition of pathogenic Escherichia may indicate a supporting effect of infant cereals with 50% whole grains and a reduced sugar content over infant cereals manufactured with refined hydrolyzed flours on the infant microbiota. In fact, using a novel methodology for the identification of microbial signatures, we found two groups of microbial taxa predictive of infants consuming enriched whole-grain infant cereals with a high predictive value of about 93%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem)

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Review

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18 pages, 713 KiB

Open AccessReview

Dietary Polysaccharides as Modulators of the Gut Microbiota Ecosystem: An Update on Their Impact on Health

by Ana I. Álvarez-Mercado and Julio Plaza-Diaz

Nutrients 2022, 14(19), 4116; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14194116 - 03 Oct 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2768

Abstract

A polysaccharide is a macromolecule composed of more than ten monosaccharides with a wide distribution and high structural diversity and complexity in nature. Certain polysaccharides are immunomodulators and play key roles in the regulation of immune responses during the progression of some diseases. In addition to stimulating the growth of certain intestinal bacteria, polysaccharides may also promote health benefits by modulating the gut microbiota. In the last years, studies about the triad gut microbiota–polysaccharides–health have increased exponentially. In consequence, in the present review, we aim to summarize recent knowledge about the function of dietary polysaccharides on gut microbiota composition and how these effects affect host health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota Ecosystem)

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