Fructooligosaccharide intake promotes epigenetic changes in the intestinal mucosa in growing and ageing rats.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between fructooligosaccharide (FOS) intake at different life stages of Wistar rats and its stimulatory effects on intestinal parameters.


METHODS
Recently weaned and ageing female rats were divided into growing and ageing treatments, which were fed diets that partially replaced sucrose with FOS for 12 weeks.


RESULTS
Dietary FOS intake induced a significant increase in the numbers of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in growing rats. FOS intake was associated with increased butyric acid levels and a reduced pH of the caecal contents at both ages. Differential gene expression patterns were observed by microarray analysis of growing and ageing animals fed the FOS diet. A total of 133 genes showed detectable changes in expression in the growing rats, while there were only 19 gene expression changes in ageing rats fed with FOS.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that dietary FOS intake may be beneficial for some parameters of intestinal health in growing rats.
School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Glaucia Carielo
GC
Lima
School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Vivian Cristine Correa
VCC
Vieira
School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Cinthia Baú Betim
CBB
Cazarin
Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Rafaela da Rosa
RDR
Ribeiro
Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.
Stanislau Bogusz
SB
Junior
Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Cibele Lima
CL
de Albuquerque
Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center, Université de Montreal, Montreal, Canada.
Ramon Oliveira
RO
Vidal
Department of Biochemistry, Biological Sciences and Health Center, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Claudia Cardoso
CC
Netto
Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Áureo Tatsumi
ÁT
Yamada
Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Fabio
F
Augusto
School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. mmarosti@unicamp.br.|Laboratório de Nutrição e Metabolismo-Departamento de Alimentos e Nutrição, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, R. Monteiro Lobato 80, Campinas, SP, 13083-862, Brazil. mmarosti@unicamp.br.
Mário Roberto
MR
Maróstica Junior
D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001530:Belgium; D005260:Female; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D009844:Oligosaccharides; C116580:fructooligosaccharide
Ageing; Gene expression; Intestinal health; Prebiotic; Youth