Intestinal Lactobacillus species improve immune enhancement by ginsenoside Rb1 and ginsenoside Rb1 increases intestinal Akkermansia proportions

Abstract This study aimed to identify correlations between the immune enhancement effects of ginsenoside Rb1 (G-Rb1) and the composition of the gut microbiota in mice. Feces samples collected from mice with high (HI) and low (LI) immune enhancement before and after the feeding of a diet supplemented with G-Rb1 were assessed via metagenomic analysis. Before feeding the G-Rb1 diet, the proportion of the genus Lactobacillus was higher in the HI group than that in the LI group. After feeding the G-Rb1 diet, the abundance of the genus Akkermansia increased particularly in the HI group. Taken together, our findings indicate that it can enhance the effect of G-Rb1 when a high proportion of Lactobacillus already remains in the intestine and that G-Rb1 intake increases the proportion of Akkermansia in the intestine, which has various beneficial effects, especially on the immune system.