A Single-Batch Fermentation System to Simulate Human Colonic Microbiota for High-Throughput Evaluation of Prebiotics

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 11; no. 8; p. e0160533
• Main Authors: Takagi, Risa, Sasaki, Kengo, Sasaki, Daisuke, Fukuda, Itsuko, Tanaka, Kosei, Yoshida, Ken-Ichi, Kondo, Akihiko, Osawa, Ro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 02.08.2016; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Acetates - metabolism; Acetic acid; Actinobacteria; Bacteria; Bacteroidetes - drug effects; Bacteroidetes - isolation & purification; Bacteroidetes - metabolism; Batch Cell Culture Techniques; Bifidobacterium; Bifidobacterium - drug effects; Bifidobacterium - isolation & purification; Bifidobacterium - metabolism; Biodiversity; Biology and Life Sciences; Butyrates - metabolism; Computer simulation; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Evaluation; Fatty acids; Feces; Feces - microbiology; Fermentation; Fermentation - drug effects; Firmicutes; Firmicutes - drug effects; Firmicutes - isolation & purification; Firmicutes - metabolism; Food safety; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - physiology; Gastrointestinal system; Humans; Lactic acid; Lactic Acid - biosynthesis; Lactulose; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolism; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Microorganisms; Oligosaccharides; Oligosaccharides - metabolism; Oligosaccharides - pharmacology; Physical Sciences; Physiological aspects; Prebiotics; Prebiotics - analysis; Principal Component Analysis; Probiotics; Propionic acid; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; rRNA 16S; Science; Species diversity; Succinic Acid - metabolism; Supplements; Taxonomy; United States; Japan
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160533

We devised a single-batch fermentation system to simulate human colonic microbiota from fecal samples, enabling the complex mixture of microorganisms to achieve densities of up to 1011 cells/mL in 24 h. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of bacteria grown in the system revealed that representatives of the major phyla, including Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria, as well as overall species diversity, were consistent with those of the original feces. On the earlier stages of fermentation (up to 9 h), trace mixtures of acetate, lactate, and succinate were detectable; on the later stages (after 24 h), larger amounts of acetate accumulated along with some of propionate and butyrate. These patterns were similar to those observed in the original feces. Thus, this system could serve as a simple model to simulate the diversity as well as the metabolism of human colonic microbiota. Supplementation of the system with several prebiotic oligosaccharides (including fructo-, galacto-, isomalto-, and xylo-oligosaccharides; lactulose; and lactosucrose) resulted in an increased population in genus Bifidobacterium, concomitant with significant increases in acetate production. The results suggested that this fermentation system may be useful for in vitro, pre-clinical evaluation of the effects of prebiotics prior to testing in humans.