Principal human milk oligosaccharides utilized by human gut microbiota

Human milk oligosaccharides are poorly digested and absorbed in the small intestine, allowing their passage into the colon, where they influence colonization by the microbiota. The ability of individual major fucosylated and sialylated human milk oligosaccharides to promote growth and physiologic activity of 25 human intestinal microbes was investigated. 2′‐Fucosyllactose, 3‐ Fucosyllactose, and Lactodifucotetraose stimulated most Bifidobacteria spp. and Bacteroides spp. to grow and produce abundant lactate or short chain fatty acids. 3′‐sialyllactose and 6′‐ sialyllactose promoted moderate growth of B. longum JCM7007, 7009, 7010, 7011, 1272, 11347, ATCC15708, B. thetaiotaomicron ATCC29148, and C. leptum ATCC29065; these bacteria produced lactate or short chain fatty acids or both. In contrast, L. rhamnosus ATCC53103, E. facalis ATCC29200, S. epidermidis ATCC12228 and E. coli K12 did not consume the milk oligosaccharides. In summary, specific Bifidobacteria and Bacteroides differentially digest specific individual human milk oligosaccharides, especially the major fucosylated milk oligosaccharides, and these may prove useful for treating dysbiosis of the microbiota and associated inflammatory disorders. Grant Funding Source : HD013021 , AI075563 , and Abbott Nutrition