Modulation of the Altered Intestinal Microbiota by Use of Antibiotics with a Novel Synbiotic on Wistar Rats

The use of antibiotics unbalances the intestinal microbiota. Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics are alternatives for these unbalances. The effects of a new synbiotic composed of probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 and fructans from Agave salmiana (fAs) as prebiotics were assessed to modulate the intestinal microbiota. Two probiotic presentations, the commercial probiotic (CP) and the microencapsulated probiotic (MP) to improve those effects, were used to prepare the synbiotics and feed Wistar rats subjected to antibiotics (AB). Eight groups were studied, including five controls and three groups to modulate the microbiota after the use of antibiotics: G5: AB + MP-synbiotic, G6: AB + CP-synbiotic, and G8: AB + fAs. All treatments were administered daily for 7 days. On days 7 and 21, euthanasia was performed, cecum tissue was recovered and used to evaluate histological analysis and to study microphotograph by TEM, and finally, bacterial DNA was extracted and 16S rRNA gene metabarcode sequencing was performed. Histological analysis showed less epithelial damage and more abundance of the intestinal microbiota in the groups G5, G6, and G8 in comparison with the AB control group after 7 days. Microphotograph of the cecum at 2 weeks post treatment showed that G5 and G6 presented beneficial effects in epithelial reconstruction. Interestingly, in the groups that used the synbiotic without AB (G3 and G4) in addition to contributing to the recovery of the autochthonous microbiota, it promotes the development of beneficial microorganisms; those results were also achieved in the groups that used the synbiotic with AB enhancing the bacterial diversity and regulating the impact of AB.