Gut enterotypes are stable during Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus probiotic supplementation

Area of Science:

• Human gut microbiome research
• Enterotyping and microbial ecology
• Probiotic and prebiotic efficacy

Background:

• The human gut microbiome is classified into three enterotypes: Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Ruminococcus.
• The interaction between probiotics and specific gut enterotypes remains unclear.
• Cayenne pepper shows prebiotic potential for certain beneficial bacteria in vitro.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if probiotics, with or without cayenne pepper, alter gut bacterial composition.
• To determine if changes in gut microbiota are associated with an individual's baseline enterotype.
• To assess the stability of gut enterotypes under probiotic and prebiotic interventions.

Main Methods:

• Collected fecal samples from 27 participants at baseline, post-probiotic, and post-probiotic plus cayenne treatment.
• Extracted DNA, amplified the V4 region, and performed Illumina MiSeq sequencing.
• Processed sequence reads using mothur and assigned taxonomy against the SILVA reference database.

Main Results:

• The study population comprised three enterotypes: Bacteroides (n=6), Prevotella (n=11), and Ruminococcus (n=10).
• Probiotic genera did not significantly increase in fecal samples post-treatment.
• Alpha diversity decreased significantly in Bacteroides-type individuals but not in Prevotella- or Ruminococcus-types after probiotic treatment.
• Enterotypes remained stable for most participants throughout the study, irrespective of treatment.

Conclusions:

• An individual's baseline gut enterotype influences their response to probiotic interventions.
• Gut enterotypes are generally stable and resistant to significant shifts from simultaneous probiotic and prebiotic administration.
• Understanding enterotype-specific responses is crucial for personalized probiotic and prebiotic product selection.