Effects of Prebiotic Fructooligosaccharides on Susceptibility to Dextran Sodium Sulfate‐Induced Colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic intestinal disease that includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Previous studies have found alterations in the microbiome in IBD and in animal models of IBD, underscoring the role of the intestinal microbiota in IBD pathogenesis. Prebiotics are molecules in foods, such as fructooligosaccharides and other soluble fiber molecules, that support the growth or activity of beneficial probiotic microbes. Previous studies suggest that prebiotics can reduce symptoms in models of colitis. This study aimed to determine whether pretreatment with 1% short‐chain fructooligosacchardies (FOS) for 1 week, followed by 8 days of 3% DSS administration with continued FOS treatment, altered the severity of disease in C57Bl/6 mice. Clinical signs of colitis, including weight loss, fecal occult blood, and fecal consistency, were monitored daily during the DSS treatment period and the daily disease activity index was calculated. At the end of the experiment, samples were collected for histological scoring, and for RNA isolation and analysis of colonic pro‐inflammatory cytokine expression by RT‐PCR. Through the 8 days of DSS treatment, the disease activity index increased in both DSS‐treated and FOS/DSS‐treated mice compared to control non‐colitic mice, but was not significantly different between the two colitic groups. In addition, colon wet weight, colon length, and histological colitis scores were similar in colitic mice treated with FOS compared to colitic mice without FOS treatment. Colonic claudin mRNA expression was lower in DSS‐treated mice than control mice, but was not significantly altered by FOS treatment. These data suggest that treatment with fructooligosaccharides did not significantly alter susceptibility to DSS‐induced colitis.