Hydrolysed inulin alleviates the azoxymethane-induced preneoplastic aberrant crypt foci by altering selected intestinal microbiota in Sprague–Dawley rats

Figures & data

Table 1. Effect of different compositions and DP of hydrolysed inulin on weight gain, feed intake, cecal weight and cecal pH in Sprague–Dawley rats.

Treatment group (n=12)	Weight gain (g/21 weeks)	Feed intake (g/d)	Cecal weight (g)	Cecal pH
Control	316.8 ± 7.5^a	22.7 ± 3.0	5.77 ± 1.23^b	7.32 ± 0.13^a
Control + AOM	316.8 ± 20.4^a	22.8 ± 3.0	4.65 ± 1.91^b	7.60 ± 0.34^a
InuL	272.9 ± 19.7^b	22.5 ± 2.9	9.66 ± 1.85^a	6.46 ± 0.19^b
InuL + AOM	275.8 ± 4.4^b	23.1 ± 2.1	9.08 ± 1.33^a	6.56 ± 0.15^b
InuS	277.4 ± 4.9^b	22.1 ± 2.1	8.40 ± 1.42^a	6.69 ± 0.15^b
InuS + AOM	277.8 ± 5.3^b	21.1 ± 2.6	8.35 ± 1.89^a	6.49 ± 0.11^b

Values are expressed as Mean ± SD, different superscript alphabets are indicating the significant difference (p <0.05) between groups.

Figure 1. Impact of inulin supplementation on Lactobacillus spp. (A), Bifidobacteria (B), Escherichia coli (C) and Salmonella spp. (D) load in cecal content of rats. Values are represented as mean ± SD. Bars with different alphabets represent the significant difference among the groups (p <0.05).

Figure 2. Analysis of organic acids in cecal content of rat. Values are represented as mean ± SD. Bars with different letters in each panel are significantly different (p <0.05). Butyric acid was not detected in the normal diet and the normal diet + AOM group.

Figure 3. Production of putrefactive compounds in rat’s cecal contents. Values are the mean ± SD. Bars with different alphabets represent the significant difference among the groups (p < 0.05).

Table 2. Activity of microbial enzymes of rat cecal content.

Groups of animal (n=12)	β-Glucuronidase (μmol nitrophenol h^−1 g^−1 cecal content)	Azoreductase (μmol Amaranth metabolised h^−1 g^−1 cecal content)	Nitroreductase (μmol 4-Aminobenzoic acid h^−1 g^−1 cecal content)
Control	0.147 ± 0.034^a	2.78 ± 0.12^a	15.17 ± 3.75^a
Control + AOM	0.178 ± 0.017^a	2.58 ± 0.21^a	15.38 ± 5.32^a
InuL	0.050 ± 0.029^b	1.51 ± 0.03^b	9.31 ± 3.00^b
InuL + AOM	0.052 ± 0.035^b	1.82 ± 0.12^b	7.36 ± 1.38^b
InuS	0.081 ± 0.029^b	1.13 ± 0.30^b	7.28 ± 3.30^b
InuS + AOM	0.053 ± 0.029^b	1.78 ± 0.06^b	9.01 ± 4.96^b

Values are expressed as mean ± SD, different superscript alphabets are indicating the significant difference (p <0.05) between groups.

Figure 4. (A) Representative images showing colon of the naive (a) and the AOM-treated (b) rat stained with 0.2% methylene blue. (B) Aberrant crypt foci in colon of rats treated with AOM. Values are the mean ± SD. Bars with different alphabets represent the significant difference among the groups (p <0.05).