Guar Gum β-Manno-Oligosaccharides Alleviate Ulcerative Colitis in Mice Models <i>via</i> Gut Microflora Modulation

Abstract

Gut dysbiosis is a key feature in ulcerative colitis, a globally prevalent subtype of inflammatory bowel disease. Microbiota-directed dietary supplements can restore the dysbiotic gut and alleviate ulcerative colitis. We aimed to delineate whether prebiotic guar gum β-manno-oligosaccharides [GG-β-MOS(i) 500 mg/kg, (ii) 1000 mg/kg] favors gut microflora and microflora associated characteristics (MACs) and can prevent dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) induced ulcerative colitis in mice model. DSS challenged adult male C57BL/6 mice were used as model for colon inflammation evaluation. Food and water consumption, disease activity index (DAI), histopathological changes, cytokines in sera and colonic tissues, microflora associated characteristics (MACs; post-fermentation metabolites, short-chain fatty acids, etc.) and gut microflora profiles were studied. We found that GG-β-MOS successfully attenuated colonic inflammation, reduced inflammatory proteins, improved the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes and promoted the colonization of probiotics like <i>Lactobacillus</i> and <i>Bifidobacteria</i>. Furthermore, GG-β-MOS enriched beneficial bacteria <i>viz.</i>, <i>Lactobacillus</i>, <i>Bifidobacteria</i>, <i>Bacillus</i> and <i>Enterococcus</i> showed positive correlation with anti-inflammatory metabolites like D-mannose, coprostanol, pentadecane, alpha-linolenic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, D-ribose, L-fucose, D-arabinose, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, acetate and butyrate and negative correlation with oxalate, palmitic acid, arachidonic acid and erythritol. Overall, GG-β-MOS supplementation restored altered gut microflora and metabolome leading to improved mucosal repair and reduced intestinal inflammation in DSS induced ulcerative colitis mice model.