title: Galacto-oligosaccharides derived from lactulose exert a selective stimulation on the growth of Bifidobacterium animalis in the large intestine of growing rats.
abstract: There is increasing interest in identifying novel dietary nondigestible carbohydrates capable of modulating the composition and/or metabolic activities of the gut microbiota. This work assessed the differential modulatory influence of novel galacto-oligosaccharides derived from lactulose (GOS-Lu) in comparison with commercial galacto-oligosaccharides derived from lactose (GOS-La) in gut microbiota of growing rats (5 weeks old). Rats were fed either a control diet or diets containing 1% (w/w) of GOS-Lu or GOS-La, and cecal and colonic contents were collected after 14 days of treatment. Compared to controls, GOS-Lu had significantly more bifidobacteria within the large intestine, showing a significant and selective increase of Bifidobacterium animalis in the cecum and colon; however, no significant differences in the number of bifidobacteria among GOS-Lu and GOS-La groups were observed. Both types of GOS significantly increased the number of the Eubacterium rectale / Clostridium coccoides group. These findings support a prebiotic role of galactosyl-fructoses in functional foods.
authors.affiliation: Estación Experimental del Zaidín ( CSIC ), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: M Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Marín-Manzano
authors.forename: Leticia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abecia
authors.forename: Oswaldo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hernández-Hernández
authors.forename: M Luz
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Sanz
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montilla
authors.forename: Agustín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olano
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.forename: F Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clemente
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D005285:Fermentation; D006801:Humans; D007420:Intestine, Large / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D007785:Lactose / Q000378:metabolism; D007792:Lactulose / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D064307:Microbiota; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000378:metabolism*; D056692:Prebiotics / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D056692:Prebiotics; D007792:Lactulose; D007785:Lactose