Effects of a Lactulose-Rich Diet on Fecal Microbiome and Metabolome in Pregnant Mice

Lactulose, a safe and beneficial molecule, can be used in food as a prebiotic and as an osmotic laxative during pregnancy. This work evaluated the effects of dietary lactulose on the gut microenvironment of pregnant mice using the fecal microbiota and metabolomic profiling. After 2 weeks of feeding, the Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides abundances in the mouse feces were significantly increased in the LAC-high (the diet supplemented with 15% lactulose) group. A total of 15 metabolites, including 1-monoolein, glucose-6-phosphate, and short-chain fatty acids, were increased significantly in the LAC-high group. The serum glucose and total cholesterol concentrations were significantly decreased, while the progesterone level was significantly increased in the lactulose-fed mice. In the LAC-high group, the colonic pH and intestinal permeability were decreased, while the immunoglobulins in the colonic epithelial cells and the small intestinal absorption capacity were significantly increased. These findings indicated that lactulose supplementation benefitted pregnancy performance in mice.

乳果糖（Lactulose）是一种安全有益的分子，可作为益生元应用于食品中，且在妊娠期可用作渗透性缓泻剂。本研究通过粪便菌群与代谢组学谱分析，评估了膳食乳果糖对孕鼠肠道微环境的影响。饲喂2周后，高剂量乳果糖组（LAC-high，日粮添加15%乳果糖）小鼠粪便中的双歧杆菌（Bifidobacterium）与拟杆菌（Bacteroides）丰度显著升高。高剂量乳果糖组中共检出15种差异代谢物，包括1-单油酰甘油（1-monoolein）、葡萄糖-6-磷酸（glucose-6-phosphate）及短链脂肪酸（short-chain fatty acids），其含量均显著上调。饲喂乳果糖的小鼠血清葡萄糖与总胆固醇浓度显著降低，而孕酮（progesterone）水平显著升高。高剂量乳果糖组小鼠的结肠pH值与肠道通透性降低，而结肠上皮细胞中的免疫球蛋白含量与小肠吸收能力显著提升。上述研究结果表明，补充乳果糖可改善小鼠的妊娠结局。