Metagenomic analysis of gut microbiota in coconut milk-fed Wistar rats

The gut microbiota plays a key role in host metabolism through the fermentation of dietary substrates into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Dietary fat composition is an important factor influencing gut microbial structure and metabolic activity.This BioProject describes a controlled dietary intervention study designed to examine the effects of different dietary fat sources on gut microbiota composition in Wistar rats. Animals were fed diets containing either coconut milk, a source rich in saturated medium-chain fatty acids, or soybean oil, a source rich in unsaturated long-chain fatty acids.Microbial DNA was isolated from cecum wash samples and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing targeting the V3 region.The data generated in this project provide a resource for studying diet-associated variation in gut microbial community structure and microbial metabolic potential in an experimental rodent model.