Impact of Resistant Starch on the Gut Microbiota and its Metabolites in a Single-batch Fermentation System Varies Among Fecal Samples from Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Increasing evidence has suggested a strong relationship between gut microbiota and coronary artery disease (CAD). We have previously reported that Bacteroides vulgatus and Bacteroides dorei were relatively depleted in CAD patients and inhibited atherosclerosis in mice. This implies that expansion of these species abundance could help CAD patients. Although resistant starch (RS) consumption prevent future CAD, the role of the gut microbiota with respect to observed beneficial effects still remains unclear. This study investigated the impact of RS on gut microbiota and its metabolites of patients with or without CAD in our single-batch fermentation system (KUHIMM; Kobe University Human Intestinal Microbiota Model) prior to the clinical trials. Fecal samples from 11 CAD patients and 10 non-CAD controls were fermented for 30 h with or without RS in KUHIMM. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis showed various gut microbial responses to RS, concomitant with significant increases of butyrate production, though diversity did not significantly change. The abundance of Bacteroides vulgatus and Bacteroides dorei were relatively increased in CAD patients after RS supplementation. We first demonstrated how RS change gut microbial composition and its metabolites in both CAD patients and non-CAD controls. Our fermentation system may be useful for pre-clinical evaluation of the effect of RS on gut microbiota and its metabolites prior to clinical settings.