Effect of a fructooligosaccharides fraction from Psacallium decompositum on the intestinal bacterial microbiota of rats

Psacalium decompositum is a shrub indigenous to northern Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico at U.S.A. It has been utilized in traditional medicine for the treatment of many ailments, including rheumatic disorders, pain, and diabetes. The chemical analysis of the hexane extract from the rhizomes of P. decompositum revealed the presence of sesquiterpenes, including cacalol, cacalone, maturin, and maturinone, among others. Cacalol has been used as a chemotaxonomic marker for the identification of this species. Furthermore, its aqueous fraction was subjected to isolation, resulting in the identification of linear fructooligosaccharides with an eight-unit polymerisation degree (LFOS8). Despite their non-absorbable nature at the level of the gastrointestinal tract, the administration of LFOS8 orally to experimental animals demonstrated a notable impact on health, particularly regarding the regulation of metabolic and inflammatory processes. It is hypothesized that LFOS8 may be facilitating saccharolytic fermentation, resulting in the production of short-chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate, which may, in turn, exert beneficial effects on gut health, thereby explaining its metabolic and anti-inflammatory properties. The objective of this study was to ascertain the impact of LFOS8 derived from P. decompositum on the intestinal microbiota of rats through metagenomic sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. For this purpose, male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the following groups (n=8): Control group was administered an isotonic saline solution; Positive control group was treated with chicory inulin (a prebiotic), and Experimental group was treated with LFOS8 fraction.