FOS and EA synergistically improved muscle endurance and mitochondrial autophagy in mice.
Emerging evidence indicates that sarcopenia is an aging-related muscle disorder and highly associated with dysbiosis of gut microbial metabolism, yet the preventive strategies and regulatory mechanism by targeting gut microbial metabolism are unclear. Here, we find that fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and ellagic acid (EA) synergistically enhance muscle endurance and strength via targeting gut microbial urolithin A (Uro-A) metabolism. Mechanically, dietary FOS targeted Bifidobacterium pseudolongum to increase the Uro-C production responsible for the first stage of Uro-A biosynthesis. We further demonstrated that Enterococcus faecalis was main species responsible for the second stage of bioconversion from Uro-C to Uro-A. The enhanced interaction of B. pseudolongum with E. faecalis was sufficient to increase the metabolic flow of Uro-A metabolism. Our findings highlight the potential of FOS-EA synergistic use on alleviating sarcopenia and support the concept that targeted regulation of metabolic flow between gut microbiome may provide novel cost-effective therapeutic or preventive strategies for sarcopenia.