Ulva lactuca is poorly fermented but alters bacterial metabolism in rats inoculated with human faecal flora from methane and non-methane producers
✍ Scribed by Andrieux, Claude; Hibert, Anne; Houari, Anne-Marie; Bensaada, Martine; Popot, Françoise; Szylit, Odette
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 247 KB
- Volume
- 77
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-5142
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
In vivo fermentation of Ulva lactuca was studied in previously germfree rats inoculated with human ýora obtained from non-, low-and highmethane producers (groups NMP, LMP and HMP, respectively), in comparison to germ-free rats. Rats were fed either a control diet or a diet containing 4% of dried Ulva lactuca. Production of metabolites varied according to the ýora and diet. Ulva lactuca induced a speciüc high production of methane in the HMP group. With the three human ýora, Ulva diet induced a similar increase in caecal pH. In the NMP and HMP groups, this increase was associated with a fall of lactic acid caecal concentration. In the LMP group it was related to a decrease in the concentration of short-chain fatty acids. Ulva lactuca appeared to be able to regulate the b-glucuronidase and b-glucosidase activities, reducing the relatively high levels observed in groups NMP and HMP and increasing the low levels obtained in the LMP group. Results show that, although it was poorly fermented, Ulva induced signiücant eþects on the gut microýora metabolism. The methanogenic status of the human donor appeared to be an important factor.