Ex vivo fermentation of dietary fibers by gut microbiota
This study aimed to determine whether dietary fibers can restore gut microbiome resilience to oxygen-driven dysbiosis using a host-independent ex vivo fermentation model. Fecal microbiota from healthy donors were cultured under controlled anaerobic and microaerophilic conditions with and without dietary fiber supplementation to assess microbial community responses to oxygen stress. Using 16S rRNA gene V4 sequencing analysis, we examined how oxygen and fiber interact to shape microbial community structure. The study demonstrates that dietary fibers suppress oxygen-induced expansion of pathobiont facultative anaerobes while restoring SCFA-producing obligate anaerobic guilds, highlighting a mechanistic role for fiber fermentation in reestablishing microbiome homeostasis and informing dietary strategies for managing dysbiosis-related conditions.