A comparative study of the modulation of the gut microbiota in rats by dietary intervention with different sources of egg‐white proteins

Abstract BACKGROUND Gut microflora dysbiosis has been related closely to a variety of diseases including obesity and inflammatory bowel disease. Proteins and peptides in egg white have been found to alleviate inflammation but the role played by the intestinal flora is still unclear. Using casein as a dietary protein control, we investigated the effects of diets composed of hen egg white, duck egg white, and preserved egg white on gut microbiota in the rat cecum. RESULTS The gut microbiota in rats were altered after egg‐white consumption. The results showed that rats fed with egg white had a similar overall structure of cecal bacterial communities, which was different from those fed with casein. The relative abundance of Akkermansia in the group of rats fed with hen egg white was highest among all groups. Rats fed with duck egg white had significantly higher relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Peptostreptococcaceae, and lower relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae . In addition, the levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipopolysaccharide‐binding protein (LBP) in rats fed with duck egg white and preserved egg white were lower than the levels in rats fed with hen egg white. CONCLUSION Our results indicated the possible positive effect on homeostasis of the intestinal flora brought about by the intake of duck egg white. This study provides an insight into the potential positive impact of preserved egg white on health by changing gut microbiota and affecting the antigen load. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry