Fecal Microbiota Perspective for Evaluation of Prebiotic Potential of Bamboo Hemicellulose Hydrolysate in Mice: A Preliminary Study

Bamboo hemicellulose hydrolysate (BHH) may possess antihypercholesterolemic activity; however, this activity requires further comprehensive study to assess the prebiotic mechanisms of BHH in vivo. Here, we used high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing to preliminarily investigate the correlations between BHH and the fecal microbiomes of three groups of mice fed either a normal diet, a high-fat diet, or a high-fat diet supplemented with 5% BHH for 5 weeks. Alpha diversity (within community) was nonsignificant for all groups; however, beta diversity analysis among communities showed that 5% BHH suppressed the significant changes induced by the high-fat diet. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, the family S24-7 within the order Bacteroidales, the family Lachnospiraceae and several cellulolytic taxa were slightly ameliorated in the BHH group. These results indicated that BHH supplementation influenced the gut bacterial community and suppressed the high-fat diet-induced alterations. Additionally, BHH significantly lowered the serum cholesterol levels and fecal pH. Improving short-chain fatty acid production for all of the bacterial communities in the mouse guts may induce this effect. Thus, the prebiotic potential of BHH should be evaluated considering the gut microbial communities and their interactions.