TY - JOUR
T1 - Lipid hydrolysis products affect the composition of infant gut microbial
communities in vitro.
AU - Bennike, Rikke Mette Guldhammer
AU - Bahl, Martin Iain
AU - Vigsnæs, Louise Kristine
AU - Heerup-Larsson, Anne Christine
AU - Licht, Tine Rask
AU - Hellgren, Lars
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Some lipid hydrolysis products such as medium-chained NEFA (MC-NEFA), sphingosine and monoacylglycerols (MAG) possess antibacterial
activity, while others, including oleic acid, are essential for the optimal growth of Lactobacillus species. Thus, changes in the concentrations
of NEFA and MAG in the distal ileum and colon can potentially selectively modulate the composition of the gut microbiota,
especially in early life when lipid absorption efficacy is reduced. As medium-chained fatty acids are enriched in mothers’ milk, such effects
may be highly relevant during gut colonisation. In the present study, we examined the effect of selected NEFA, MAG and sphingosine on
the composition of faecal microbial communities derived from infants aged 2–5 months during a 24 h anaerobic in vitro fermentation. We
tested lipid mixtures in the concentration range of 0–200 mM, either based on MC-NEFA (10 : 0 to 14 : 0 and MAG 12 : 0) or long-chained
NEFA (LC-NEFA; 16 : 0 to 18 : 1 and MAG 16 : 0) with and without sphingosine, representing lipid hydrolysis products characteristic for intestinal
hydrolysis of breast milk lipids. Ion Torrent sequencing of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene revealed that the relative abundance
of lactic acid-producing genera, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, was generally increased in the presence of 50mM or higher
concentrations of MC-NEFA. For Bifidobacterium, the same effect was also observed in the presence of a mixture containing LC-NEFA with
sphingosine. On the contrary, the relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae was significantly decreased in the presence of both lipid
mixtures. Our findings suggest that the high concentration of medium-chained fatty acids in breast milk might have functional effects
on the establishment of the gut microbiota in early life
AB - Some lipid hydrolysis products such as medium-chained NEFA (MC-NEFA), sphingosine and monoacylglycerols (MAG) possess antibacterial
activity, while others, including oleic acid, are essential for the optimal growth of Lactobacillus species. Thus, changes in the concentrations
of NEFA and MAG in the distal ileum and colon can potentially selectively modulate the composition of the gut microbiota,
especially in early life when lipid absorption efficacy is reduced. As medium-chained fatty acids are enriched in mothers’ milk, such effects
may be highly relevant during gut colonisation. In the present study, we examined the effect of selected NEFA, MAG and sphingosine on
the composition of faecal microbial communities derived from infants aged 2–5 months during a 24 h anaerobic in vitro fermentation. We
tested lipid mixtures in the concentration range of 0–200 mM, either based on MC-NEFA (10 : 0 to 14 : 0 and MAG 12 : 0) or long-chained
NEFA (LC-NEFA; 16 : 0 to 18 : 1 and MAG 16 : 0) with and without sphingosine, representing lipid hydrolysis products characteristic for intestinal
hydrolysis of breast milk lipids. Ion Torrent sequencing of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene revealed that the relative abundance
of lactic acid-producing genera, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, was generally increased in the presence of 50mM or higher
concentrations of MC-NEFA. For Bifidobacterium, the same effect was also observed in the presence of a mixture containing LC-NEFA with
sphingosine. On the contrary, the relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae was significantly decreased in the presence of both lipid
mixtures. Our findings suggest that the high concentration of medium-chained fatty acids in breast milk might have functional effects
on the establishment of the gut microbiota in early life
KW - Gut microbiota
KW - Human milk lipids
KW - Lipid hydrolysis products
KW - 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing
U2 - 10.1017/S0007114515000811
DO - 10.1017/S0007114515000811
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 25992463
VL - 114
SP - 63
EP - 74
JO - British Journal of Nutrition
JF - British Journal of Nutrition
SN - 0007-1145
IS - 1
ER -