Impact of pectin with various esterification degrees on the profiles of gut microbiota and serum metabolites

Colitis is generally affected by multiple factors, including the dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota, and may affect organs outside colon through circulation. Pectin, which is an edible polysaccharide widely present in plant cell walls, has been proved in our previous study to possess preventive potentials against acute ulcerative colitis, especially when the esterification degree is less than 50%. This study aimed to clarify the underlying correlations of gut microbiome and serum metabolites with the preventive effects of pectin with different esterification degrees (H121, L13, and L102) against colitis in mice. MiSeq sequencing data showed that symbiotic bacteria especially beneficial Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were enriched by pectin intake. Fiber consumers such as Prevotella and Bacteroides actively responded to L13 pectin, particularly under high dosage (L13-H). In addition, the abnormal abundance of Akkermansia associated with colitis would not appear in mice who had been provided with any of the three pectins before dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) treatment. Furthermore, pre-treatment of H121 and L13 pectins could improve the serum glycerophospholipids such as phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). In contrast, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) contributing to the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway was enriched only in the L13-H group, which has been previously proved to be associated with the epithelial barrier and intestinal homeostasis. Positive relationships between the glycerophospholipids and the dominant candidates of intestinal bacteria such as Lactobacillus indicated the joint actions of intestinal microbes and serum metabolites as well as the underlying crosstalks among gut microbiome. Therefore, the results of this research suggested that the preventive effects of low-esterified pectin on DSS-induced colitis were likely to be initiated by the enrichment of probiotics in the gut and serum glycerophospholipids. KEY POINTS: • L13 pectin remarkably improved the diversity of the gut microbiome in healthy mice. • Probiotics were enriched and abnormal Akkermansia was restored by L13 and L102 pectins. • Glycerophospholipid metabolism was significantly enriched by H121 and L13 pectins.