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Over the last few decades, there has been an increase in the consumption of antibiotics. Antibiotics impact the gut microbiota by reducing the overall diversity, increasing the growth of potential pathobionts, and promoting the development of resistant bacteria. For example, antibiotic-associated diarrhea can occur with antibiotic treatment which suggests that antibiotics disturb the gut microbiota. Also, excessive antibiotic usage in children has been associated with the development of several chronic diseases later in life. Thus, there is an urgent need to find ways to reduce the adverse effects of antibiotics on the gut microbial community.
Dietary fiber is essential for gut microbiota to support human health. Bacterial fermentation of dietary fiber generates short-chain fatty acids that are energy substrates of intestinal cells and key signaling molecules in many metabolic pathways. Our recent data also suggest that fiber-fermenting bacteria may play a key structural role in the gut ecosystem – when they become dominant, increased short-chain fatty acid production maintains an acidic gut luminal environment that inhibits detrimental bacteria, i.e., a shift towards a “healthier” gut microbiota structure. Specifically, we identified a select group of acetate- and butyrate-producing bacteria, that, when promoted by the increased availability of dietary fibers of diverse physicochemical structures, serves as the “foundation guild” of healthy gut microbiota and confers clinical benefits to the human host.
In this project, we will use an in vitro fermentation system to evaluate the effect of dietary fiber against antibiotic-perturbed human gut microbiota. We will use next-generation sequencing to characterize the effects of dietary fiber on gut microbiota composition and putative functions. This project will help us understand if dietary fiber can counteract the impact of antibiotics on the gut microbiota. This can potentially lead to ways by which we can maintain a healthy gut microbiota that is more resilient to the adverse effects of antibiotics.
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