Carrot-Derived Rhamnogalacturonan-I Consistently Increases the Microbial Production of Health-Promoting Indole-3-Propionic Acid Ex Vivo

Background: Using dietary interventions to steer the metabolic output of the gut microbiota towards specific health-promoting metabolites is often challenging due to interpersonal variation in treatment responses. Methods: In this study, we combined the ex vivo SIFR<sup>®</sup> (Systemic...

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Main Authors: Annick Mercenier, Lam Dai Vu, Jonas Poppe, Ruud Albers, Sue McKay, Pieter Van den Abbeele
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Metabolites
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/14/12/722
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author Annick Mercenier
Lam Dai Vu
Jonas Poppe
Ruud Albers
Sue McKay
Pieter Van den Abbeele
author_facet Annick Mercenier
Lam Dai Vu
Jonas Poppe
Ruud Albers
Sue McKay
Pieter Van den Abbeele
author_sort Annick Mercenier
collection DOAJ
description Background: Using dietary interventions to steer the metabolic output of the gut microbiota towards specific health-promoting metabolites is often challenging due to interpersonal variation in treatment responses. Methods: In this study, we combined the ex vivo SIFR<sup>®</sup> (Systemic Intestinal Fermentation Research) technology with untargeted metabolite profiling to investigate the impact of carrot-derived rhamnogalacturonan-I (cRG-I) on ex vivo metabolite production by the gut microbiota of 24 human adults. Results: The findings reveal that at a dose equivalent to 1.5 g/d, cRG-I consistently promoted indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) production (+45.8% increase) across all subjects. At a dose equivalent to 0.3 g/d, increased IPA production was also observed (+14.6%), which was comparable to the effect seen for 1.5 g/d inulin (10.6%). IPA has been shown to provide protection against diseases affecting the gut and multiple organs. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed a strong correlation (R = 0.65, <i>p</i><sub>adjusted</sub> = 6.1 × 10<sup>−16</sup>) between the increases in IPA levels and the absolute levels of <i>Bifidobacterium longum</i>, a producer of indole-3-lactic acid (ILA), an intermediate in IPA production. Finally, the community modulation score, a novel diversity index, demonstrated that cRG-I maintained a high α-diversity which has previously been linked to elevated IPA production. Conclusions: The results from the ex vivo SIFR<sup>®</sup> experiment mirrored clinical outcomes and provided novel insights into the impact of cRG-I on the gut microbiome function. Importantly, we demonstrated that cRG-I promotes tryptophan conversion into IPA via gut microbiome modulation, thus conferring benefits via amino acid derived metabolites extending beyond those previously reported for short chain fatty acids (SCFA) resulting from carbohydrate fermentation.
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spelling doaj-art-65bb7d284bd1423cae0e96d0b0626ab42025-08-20T02:00:43ZengMDPI AGMetabolites2218-19892024-12-01141272210.3390/metabo14120722Carrot-Derived Rhamnogalacturonan-I Consistently Increases the Microbial Production of Health-Promoting Indole-3-Propionic Acid Ex VivoAnnick Mercenier0Lam Dai Vu1Jonas Poppe2Ruud Albers3Sue McKay4Pieter Van den Abbeele5NutriLeads BV, 6708 WH Wageningen, The NetherlandsCryptobiotix SA, 9052 Ghent, BelgiumCryptobiotix SA, 9052 Ghent, BelgiumNutriLeads BV, 6708 WH Wageningen, The NetherlandsNutriLeads BV, 6708 WH Wageningen, The NetherlandsCryptobiotix SA, 9052 Ghent, BelgiumBackground: Using dietary interventions to steer the metabolic output of the gut microbiota towards specific health-promoting metabolites is often challenging due to interpersonal variation in treatment responses. Methods: In this study, we combined the ex vivo SIFR<sup>®</sup> (Systemic Intestinal Fermentation Research) technology with untargeted metabolite profiling to investigate the impact of carrot-derived rhamnogalacturonan-I (cRG-I) on ex vivo metabolite production by the gut microbiota of 24 human adults. Results: The findings reveal that at a dose equivalent to 1.5 g/d, cRG-I consistently promoted indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) production (+45.8% increase) across all subjects. At a dose equivalent to 0.3 g/d, increased IPA production was also observed (+14.6%), which was comparable to the effect seen for 1.5 g/d inulin (10.6%). IPA has been shown to provide protection against diseases affecting the gut and multiple organs. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed a strong correlation (R = 0.65, <i>p</i><sub>adjusted</sub> = 6.1 × 10<sup>−16</sup>) between the increases in IPA levels and the absolute levels of <i>Bifidobacterium longum</i>, a producer of indole-3-lactic acid (ILA), an intermediate in IPA production. Finally, the community modulation score, a novel diversity index, demonstrated that cRG-I maintained a high α-diversity which has previously been linked to elevated IPA production. Conclusions: The results from the ex vivo SIFR<sup>®</sup> experiment mirrored clinical outcomes and provided novel insights into the impact of cRG-I on the gut microbiome function. Importantly, we demonstrated that cRG-I promotes tryptophan conversion into IPA via gut microbiome modulation, thus conferring benefits via amino acid derived metabolites extending beyond those previously reported for short chain fatty acids (SCFA) resulting from carbohydrate fermentation.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/14/12/722indole-3-propionic acidtryptophan metabolism<i>Bifidobacterium longum</i>carrot rhamnogalacturonan-I (cRG-I)dietary fiberprebiotic
spellingShingle Annick Mercenier
Lam Dai Vu
Jonas Poppe
Ruud Albers
Sue McKay
Pieter Van den Abbeele
Carrot-Derived Rhamnogalacturonan-I Consistently Increases the Microbial Production of Health-Promoting Indole-3-Propionic Acid Ex Vivo
Metabolites
indole-3-propionic acid
tryptophan metabolism
<i>Bifidobacterium longum</i>
carrot rhamnogalacturonan-I (cRG-I)
dietary fiber
prebiotic
title Carrot-Derived Rhamnogalacturonan-I Consistently Increases the Microbial Production of Health-Promoting Indole-3-Propionic Acid Ex Vivo
title_full Carrot-Derived Rhamnogalacturonan-I Consistently Increases the Microbial Production of Health-Promoting Indole-3-Propionic Acid Ex Vivo
title_fullStr Carrot-Derived Rhamnogalacturonan-I Consistently Increases the Microbial Production of Health-Promoting Indole-3-Propionic Acid Ex Vivo
title_full_unstemmed Carrot-Derived Rhamnogalacturonan-I Consistently Increases the Microbial Production of Health-Promoting Indole-3-Propionic Acid Ex Vivo
title_short Carrot-Derived Rhamnogalacturonan-I Consistently Increases the Microbial Production of Health-Promoting Indole-3-Propionic Acid Ex Vivo
title_sort carrot derived rhamnogalacturonan i consistently increases the microbial production of health promoting indole 3 propionic acid ex vivo
topic indole-3-propionic acid
tryptophan metabolism
<i>Bifidobacterium longum</i>
carrot rhamnogalacturonan-I (cRG-I)
dietary fiber
prebiotic
url https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/14/12/722
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