In vitro faecal fermentation metabolites of 2'-fucosyllactose protect against intestinal epithelial injury: Infant enterotype effects

Authors：Gu, Zhipeng; Xu, Shiqi; Zheng, Yuxing; Lane, Jonathan A.; Dhital, Sushil; Huang, Qiang; Hu, Ruibiao; Liu, Feitong; Zhang, Bin^*

Source：International Dairy Journal, 2024, 150: 105860.

DOI：10.1016/j.idairyj.2023.105860

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In this study, we conducted in vitro fermentation with infant faecal inocula dominated by Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium breve, and Bacteroides enterotypes, and assessed the efficacy of the metabolome associated with 2 '-fucosyllactose (2 '-FL) fermentation on lipopolysaccharide-induced epithelial cell barrier damage on Caco-2 cells. The results revealed that propionate and butyrate were more prominent in the Bacteroides-dominated group, whereas the Bifidobacterium-dominated group was associated with an increased molar fraction of lactate (similar to 16 mM). Additionally, our study demonstrated that 2 '-FL faecal metabolites (FMs) decreased the production of inflammatory cytokines, and promoted tight junction gene expression by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-kB/MLCK signalling pathway and activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. The 2 '-FL FMs from Bacteroides-dominated enterotypes had a unique advantage in regulating the TLR4/NF-kB/MLCK signalling pathway, which can be attributed to the effects of propionate and butyrate.