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Probiotic supplementation influences faecal short chain fatty acids in infants at high risk for eczema

H K Kim1,2, N B M M Rutten3, I Besseling-van der Vaart2

  • 11 Natural Product Laboratory, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands.

Beneficial Microbes
|November 14, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Probiotic supplementation in infants may prevent eczema by altering gut bacteria metabolites. Early gut metabolic differences were observed in children who later developed eczema, suggesting a role in immune system development.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Metabolomics

Background:

  • Gut microbiota composition influences allergy development.
  • Probiotics are investigated for preventing childhood eczema due to their immunomodulating effects.
  • Previous research indicated reduced eczema incidence with specific probiotic strains at three months of age.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate gut metabolic alterations in infants using (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
  • To identify specific fecal metabolites associated with eczema development in early childhood.
  • To explore the impact of probiotic supplementation on infant gut metabolomics.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of fecal samples from 3-month-old infants using (1)H-NMR.
  • Comparison of metabolite profiles between infants who developed eczema and those who did not.
  • Assessment of metabolite changes in infants receiving probiotic supplementation versus placebo.

Main Results:

  • Infants later developing eczema showed lower levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), succinate, phenylalanine, and alanine, and higher levels of glucose, galactose, lactate, and lactose at 3 months.
  • Probiotic supplementation was associated with increased lactate and SCFAs, and decreased lactose and succinate compared to placebo.
  • Metabolic alterations were detectable at 3 months, preceding the clinical manifestation of eczema, which often appeared by 1 year of age.

Conclusions:

  • Gut bacterial metabolites play a role in immune system development and may influence the onset of allergic diseases like eczema.
  • Early-life metabolic profiles in the gut could serve as potential biomarkers for eczema risk.
  • Probiotics may exert a preventive effect on eczema development through modulation of gut metabolites, such as increasing SCFAs and lactate.

Keywords:
atopyintestinal microbiotametabolitesprobiotics

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