Combination of probiotics enhancing butyrogenesis in colonic microbiota model of patients with ulcerative colitis

Administering beneficial bacteria as probiotics to restore the intestinal microbiota and its metabolic functions, such as butyrogenesis, is a promising treatment strategy in ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aimed to investigate the effect of a combination of probiotics, consisting of the lactic acid bacterium Weizmannia coagulans SANK70258 and the lactate-utilizing butyrate-producing bacteria Anaerostipes caccae or Clostridium butyricum, on the colonic environment using an in vitro colonic microbiota culture model with fecal inoculums from seven patients with UC. Co-inoculated W. coagulans and A. caccae neither inhibited each other's growth nor significantly affected the relative abundance of other bacterial species; however, the growth of W. coagulans was significantly inhibited when co-inoculated with C. butyricum. The relative abundance of pro-inflammatory bacteria (Escherichia sp. and unclassified Enterobacteriaceae) and Bifidobacterium spp. significantly decreased in W. coagulans-C. butyricum co-inoculated cultures. Inoculation with any of the probiotics alone did not increase butyrate production, whereas co-inoculation of W. coagulans with A. caccae or C. butyricum significantly increased the butyrate levels. Overall, the results suggested that W. coagulans and lactate-utilizing butyrate-producing bacteria in combination have synergistic effects through cross-feeding and can effectively restore butyrogenesis in the colonic environment of patients with UC. KEY POINTS: • Effects of probiotics were evaluated using in vitro microbiota model of UC colon. • W. coagulans and lactate-utilizing butyrate producers have synergistic effects. • Co-inoculation of W. coagulans with A. caccae or C. butyricum enhanced butyrogenesis.