Age-related changes of microbiota in midlife associated with reduced saccharolytic potential: an in vitro study

BMC Microbiology

Xionge Pi¹  Xin Wang¹  Junkui Chen¹  Wei Liu¹  Liying Zhu¹  Qunfang Ding²  Weiguo Jia² 

[1] State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, P. R. China;The Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics, National Clinical Research Center of Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China;

关键词: Midlife;    Microbiota;    In vitro fermentation;    SCFAs;    Acetate;    Gas production;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12866-021-02103-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundGut microbiota is critical in maintaining human health, of which diversity and abundance are subject to significantly reduce in seniors. Gut microbiota is reported to be stable across the long adulthood in general, but lack of careful examination, especially for the midlife people.ResultsTo characterize the gut microbiota in midlife, we investigated the faecal microbiota between two groups of healthy people, young, 20–39 years old, n = 15; and midlife, 40–60 years old, n = 15. Metabolic responses of the microbiota were studied through in vitro batch fermentation model. Although no difference was observed in the diversity indices between the two age groups, a wide range taxonomic changes were found in the faecal microbiota. Furthermore, substantial Bifidobacterium reduction was also found in both faecal and fermented samples. The faecal SCFAs are similar in both groups, as well as starch fermentation broth. However, after inulin fermentation, the acetate concentration and inulin degradation rate decreased while the gas production increased in midlife group, suggesting a deficiency of saccharolytic potential in midlife, especially for non-digestible carbohydrate.ConclusionsOur data demonstrate that gut microbiota begins to change as early as in midlife. The reduction in Bifidobacterium dominates the change of the microbiota composition in midlife resulting in attenuated saccharolytic capacity of inulin, possibly leading to insufficient acetate production which might be associated with healthy problems in this transition period from young to elderly.

【 授权许可】

CC BY