Guar Gum β-Manno-Oligosaccharides Alleviate Ulcerative Colitis in Mice Models via Gut Microflora Modulation

Gut dysbiosis is a key feature in ulcerative colitis, a globally prevalent
subtype of inflammatory bowel disease. Microbiota-directed dietary
supplements can restore the dysbiotic gut and alleviate ulcerative
colitis. We aimed to delineate whether prebiotic guar gum
β-manno-oligosaccharides [GG-β-MOs(i) 500 mg/kg, (ii) 1000 mg/kg]
favors gut microflora and microflora associated characteristics (Macs)
and can prevent dextran sodium sulfate (Dss) induced ulcerative coli-
tis in mice model. Dss challenged adult male c57Bl/6 mice were
used as model for colon inflammation evaluation. Food and water
consumption, disease activity index (Dai), histopathological changes,
cytokines in sera and colonic tissues, microflora associated character-
istics (Macs; post-fermentation metabolites, short-chain fatty acids,
etc.) and gut microflora profiles were studied. We found that GG-β-
MOs successfully attenuated colonic inflammation, reduced inflamma-
tory proteins, improved the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes and
promoted the colonization of probiotics like Lactobacillus and
Bifidobacteria. Furthermore, GG-β-MOs enriched beneficial bacteria
viz., Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria, Bacillus and Enterococcus showed pos-
itive correlation with anti-inflammatory metabolites like D-mannose,
coprostanol, pentadecane, alpha-linolenic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic
acid, D-ribose, l-fucose, D-arabinose, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, acetate
and butyrate and negative correlation with oxalate, palmitic acid, ara-
chidonic acid and erythritol. Overall, GG-β-MOs supplementation
restored altered gut microflora and metabolome leading to improved
mucosal repair and reduced intestinal inflammation in Dss induced
ulcerative colitis mice model.