Type 4 resistant potato starch alters the microbiome, colon and cecal gene expression, and resistance to Citrobacter rodentium infection in mice fed a Total Western Diet

Mice were fed a Total Western Diet based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 50th percentile intake for Americans supplemented with 0, 2, 5 or 10% type 4 resistant potato starch before being infected with Citrobacter rodentium to induce bacterial colitis. Changes in the cecal microbiome were investigated using 16S sequencing and changes in cecum and distal colon gene expression were evaluated using RNASeq analysis. Three week old C57BL/6 mice were fed the Total Western Diet (TWD) for 6 weeks and then subgroups of mice were fed either the TWD or TWD supplemented with 0, 2, 5 or 10% type 4 resistant potato starch for an additional 3 weeks. Mice were then euthanized and cecal contents and various tissues were collected for analyses.