TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of common prebiotics on iron status and production of colonic short-chain fatty acids in anemic rats
AU - Zhang, Fan
AU - Yung, Ken K.L.
AU - Yeung, Chi Kong
N1 - Funding Information:
The technical assistance provided by the staff at HKBU animal facilities is grateful acknowledged. This project was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (award no. 31171664).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - Prebiotics may enhance iron absorption, and one plausible mechanism involves the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the colon by intestinal microflora. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of common commercially-available prebiotics including fructooligosaccharide (FOS), inulin, FOS-inulin mixture, galactooligosaccharide (GOS), and lactulose on the iron status of anemic rats, and to monitor changes in the production of colonic SCFA. Anemic Sprague-Dawley rats receiving a low-iron diet (12 μg Fe/g diet) were supplemented with or without prebiotics (5% m/V in drinking water) for 5 weeks. Hemoglobin concentration in rats supplemented with GOS after 3 weeks (4.3 g/dL) was significantly higher than rats without supplementation (3.7 g/dL), while FOS also significantly increased hemoglobin concentration after 4 weeks (4.1 g/dL vs. 3.7 g/dL). All other prebiotics showed no effects. Anemic rats showed lower overall SCFA production in the colon than normal rats, and only FOS significantly increased the production of the three main SCFA (acetic acid, propionic acid and isobutyric acid) identified in anemic rats, with other prebiotics showing no noticeable trends. Our results suggest that GOS and FOS may slightly improve iron status of anemic rats, but the role of SCFA in the colon is not clear.
AB - Prebiotics may enhance iron absorption, and one plausible mechanism involves the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the colon by intestinal microflora. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of common commercially-available prebiotics including fructooligosaccharide (FOS), inulin, FOS-inulin mixture, galactooligosaccharide (GOS), and lactulose on the iron status of anemic rats, and to monitor changes in the production of colonic SCFA. Anemic Sprague-Dawley rats receiving a low-iron diet (12 μg Fe/g diet) were supplemented with or without prebiotics (5% m/V in drinking water) for 5 weeks. Hemoglobin concentration in rats supplemented with GOS after 3 weeks (4.3 g/dL) was significantly higher than rats without supplementation (3.7 g/dL), while FOS also significantly increased hemoglobin concentration after 4 weeks (4.1 g/dL vs. 3.7 g/dL). All other prebiotics showed no effects. Anemic rats showed lower overall SCFA production in the colon than normal rats, and only FOS significantly increased the production of the three main SCFA (acetic acid, propionic acid and isobutyric acid) identified in anemic rats, with other prebiotics showing no noticeable trends. Our results suggest that GOS and FOS may slightly improve iron status of anemic rats, but the role of SCFA in the colon is not clear.
KW - Iron
KW - Non-digestible oligosaccharides
KW - Prebiotics
KW - Rat
KW - Short-chain fatty acids
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104360792&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.fshw.2021.02.024
DO - 10.1016/j.fshw.2021.02.024
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85104360792
SN - 2213-4530
VL - 10
SP - 327
EP - 334
JO - Food Science and Human Wellness
JF - Food Science and Human Wellness
IS - 3
ER -