Study on the interaction between β-carotene and gut microflora using an in vitro fermentation model
Zhixian Li, Zhuqing Dai, Enjuan Shi, Peng Wan, Guijie Chen, Zhongyuan Zhang, Yayuan Xu, Ruichang Gao, Xiaoxiong Zeng, Dajing Li
Abstract
β-Carotene, a typical non-oxygenated carotenoid, is the most efficient source of retinol (VA). The low bio-availability of β-carotene lead to large accumulation in colon; however, the relationship between β-carotene and gut microflora remains unclear. This study intends to explore the interaction between β-carotene and gut microflora using an in vitro fermentation model. After 24 h fermentation, the degradation rate of β-carotene was (64.28 ± 6.23)%, which was 1.46 times that of the group without gut microflora. Meanwhile, the production of VA was nearly 2 times that of the group without gut microflora, indicating that the gut microflora can metabolize β-carotene into VA. β-Carotene also influences the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the production of total SCFAs in 0.5 mg/mL β-carotene (BCM) group was (44.00 ± 1.16) mmol/L, which was 2.26 times that of the blank control (BLK) group. Among them, the production of acetic acid in BCM group was (19.06 ± 0.82) mmol/L, which was 2.64 time that of the BLK group. Furthermore, β-carotene significantly affected the structure and composition of gut microflora, increasing the abundance of Roseburia, Parasutterella and Lachnospiraceae, and decreasing the abundance of Dialister, Collinsella and Enterobacter (P < 0.05). This study provides a new way to understand how β-carotene works in human body with gut microflora.