Gum Odina prebiotic prevents experimental colitis in C57BL/6 mice model and its role in shaping gut microbial diversity

Colitis is a multifaceted disease which is a global threat in the present times. It is hypothesised that novel prebiotics like Gum Odina (GO) are emerging as preventive therapy to combat chronic gut diseases due to their ease of incorporation into diet and established health benefits. The study illustrates the efficacy of GO in preventing dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) induced colitis in C57BL/6 mice and compares the results with Inulin (IN). Mice were grouped into Control, DSS, GO, and IN. Apart from the control, mice from other groups were administered with 2% DSS orally. GO and IN were also fed to the respective groups for 28 days. The reduction in body weight, colon length, mucosal dysplasia and disease activity index were found less in GO compared to DSS. CD8+ T cell population were reduced in GO (10.28 +/- 0.09%) when compared to DSS (30.03 +/- 0.23%) and IN (15.25 +/- 0.25). GO increased the release of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and reduced TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-113 and IL-12 along with downregulation of iNOS expression in the colon. Next-generation sequencing data revealed the stool sample of colitis patient was dominated by Prevotella sp. along with other pathogenic bacteria. An increase in the diversity of gut bacteria and the abundance of commensal bacteria like Lactobacillus sp. and Enterococcus sp. was observed when the stool sample of a colitis patient was cultured in the gut simulator and GO was added into the feed. Thus, GO alleviate intestinal damage and slows colitis progression.