Page 44 - Read Online

Page 10 of 19 Klaassens et al. Microbiome Res Rep 2024;3:38 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/mrr.2024.13

®
Figure 3. Probiotic strain-specific effects on the metabolic activity of infant donor microbiota in the SHIME model. (A) Acetate; (B)
Propionate; (C) Butyrate; (D) total lactate; (E) D-lactate; (F) L-lactate; (G) total SCFA production, (H) pH and (I) volume of gas
production during simulated colonic fermentation with donor infant microbiota and either intact protein formula (iPF + GOS) or formula
*
**
with extensively hydrolyzed protein matrix (eHF + GOS). Selection of significant differences are marked with a P < 0.05, P < 0.01, or
*** 7
P < 0.001. Probiotic strains were added in a concentration of 1.5 × 10 CFU/mL each. SCFA: Short-chain fatty acid; Blank: no probiotic
strain added to the donor microbiota; Bb: B. breve DSM 32583; Lf: L. fermentum CECT 5716; Bb + Lf: both probiotics added; iPF: intact
protein formula; GOS: galactooligosaccharide; eHF: extensively hydrolyzed formula; SHIME: Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial
Ecosystem.
after the observed time window (P > 0.05). Interestingly, while probiotic addition seemed to increase the gas
production in vitro, in the presence of a complex microbiota, levels of gas formation were comparable
between supplemented and control conditions and probiotic addition did not increase the amount of gas
production (P > 0.05) [Figure 3H and I].

Combined effects of formula matrix and probiotic supplementation on the donor infant intestinal
microbiota
Supplementation with probiotics showed effects on the overall metabolic activity in the SHIME model.
®
Therefore, the effect on the microbial composition was also assessed. At the end of colonic incubation,
samples were taken from all reactors (nine infant donors), and for five infants, the microbiome was
analyzed by shotgun metagenome sequencing. The specific infant gut database (Version1 including the
WGSs of Bb and Lf) and complementary bioinformatics pipeline were used to produce taxonomic profiles
of the metagenome data. The average percentage classified for all samples was 98.6% ± 0.97% at the genus
level.

Probiotic strains in IF have to survive the gastrointestinal passage and ideally thrive on the co-administered
prebiotic compounds (e.g, GOS). Both strains survived the small intestinal passage at a comparable level