Combination of probiotics enhancing butyrogenesis in colonic microbiota model of patients with ulcerative colitis

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology Vol. 109; no. 1; p. 117
• Main Authors: Inokuma, Kentaro, Sasaki, Daisuke, Shintani, Tomoya, Inoue, Jun, Oyama, Katsuaki, Noda, Yuta, Maeda, Takayuki, Yamada, Ryouichi, Matsuki, Yasushi, Kodama, Yuzo, Kondo, Akihiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 10.05.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Bacteria; Bifidobacterium; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; butyrates; Butyrates - metabolism; Clostridiales - growth & development; Clostridiales - metabolism; Clostridium butyricum; Clostridium butyricum - growth & development; Clostridium butyricum - metabolism; Coliforms; Colitis, Ulcerative - microbiology; Colitis, Ulcerative - therapy; colon; Colon - microbiology; Escherichia; Feces - microbiology; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - drug effects; Genomics; Genomics, Transcriptomics, Proteomics; Humans; Inflammatory bowel disease; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Inoculation; inoculum; Intestinal microflora; intestinal microorganisms; Lactic acid; lactic acid bacteria; Life Sciences; Male; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Middle Aged; Probiotics; Probiotics - administration & dosage; Proteomics; Relative abundance; species; Synergistic effect; Syntrophism; Transcriptomics; Ulcerative colitis; Probiotics; Colonic microbiota model; Lactate-utilizing butyrate-producing bacteria; Butyrogenesis; Ulcerative colitis; Weizmannia coagulans
• ISSN: 1432-0614; 0175-7598; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-025-13424-2

Administering beneficial bacteria as probiotics to restore the intestinal microbiota and its metabolic functions, such as butyrogenesis, is a promising treatment strategy in ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aimed to investigate the effect of a combination of probiotics, consisting of the lactic acid bacterium Weizmannia coagulans SANK70258 and the lactate-utilizing butyrate-producing bacteria Anaerostipes caccae or Clostridium butyricum , on the colonic environment using an in vitro colonic microbiota culture model with fecal inoculums from seven patients with UC. Co-inoculated W. coagulans and A. caccae neither inhibited each other’s growth nor significantly affected the relative abundance of other bacterial species; however, the growth of W. coagulans was significantly inhibited when co-inoculated with C. butyricum . The relative abundance of pro-inflammatory bacteria ( Escherichia sp. and unclassified Enterobacteriaceae ) and Bifidobacterium spp. significantly decreased in W. coagulans - C. butyricum co-inoculated cultures. Inoculation with any of the probiotics alone did not increase butyrate production, whereas co-inoculation of W. coagulans with A. caccae or C. butyricum significantly increased the butyrate levels. Overall, the results suggested that W. coagulans and lactate-utilizing butyrate-producing bacteria in combination have synergistic effects through cross-feeding and can effectively restore butyrogenesis in the colonic environment of patients with UC. Key points • Effects of probiotics were evaluated using in vitro microbiota model of UC colon. • W. coagulans and lactate-utilizing butyrate producers have synergistic effects. • Co-inoculation of W. coagulans with A. caccae or C. butyricum enhanced butyrogenesis. Graphical Abstract