Microbiome-metabolomics-based insight into the protective effects of dietary fiber from sweetpotato residues on the high-fat diet-induced intestinal integrity damage

Dietary fibers have attracted much attention due to their multiple benefits on gut health. In this work, the protective mechanism of dietary fiber from sweetpotato residues (SRDF) on the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced intestinal barrier injury was investigated using microbiome-metabolomics-based approach. The physicochemical property analysis demonstrated a thermal stability below 200 °C and porous pectin-polysaccharide structure of SRDF with high in vitro functional activities. The biochemical analysis indicated that SRDF significantly ameliorated intestinal barrier function by improving intestinal morphology and permeability and inhibiting inflammatory response. Microbiome analysis demonstrated that SRDF significantly reversed the HFD-induced dysbacteriosis, decreased the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroides and enhanced the relative abundance of probiotics, such as Muribaculaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae. Metabolomics analysis showed that SRDF also significantly altered the metabolic profile in the colon, wherein the differential metabolites were mainly involved in amino acid metabolism (especially tryptophan). Pearson correlation coefficient identified the beneficial relationship between intestinal microbiome and metabolome induced by SRDF. The limitation of this study was that the mouse model may not fully replicate the human intestinal responses due to the difference between the standard environmental conditions and natural world. Generally, our results implied the great potential of SRDF as a functional food ingredient.