Fermented milk containing Lactobacillus casei Zhang and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis V9 alleviated constipation symptoms through regulation of intestinal microbiota, inflammation, and metabolic pathways

Abstract

Studies suggest that probiotics and fermented milk can improve defecation in constipated patients. However, the mechanism of fermented milk containing probiotics on constipation remains poorly understood. Volunteers with chronic constipation symptoms were recruited and given 200 g/d of fermented milk containing Lactobacillus casei Zhang and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis V9 (PFM) for 4 wk. Clinical symptoms, cytokines, metagenomics, and metabolomics were evaluated in constipated participants before and after PFM intervention. After PFM intervention, we observed significant improvement of constipation symptoms. In the serum samples, the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 increased and the proinflammatory cytokine C-reactive protein and lipopolysaccharides decreased. Metagenomics results showed that the increase of B. animalis was correlated with an increase in defecation frequency. Fatty acid biosynthesis and bile acid biosynthesis in stool samples as well as carnitine shuttle, vitamin E metabolism, and ascorbate and aldarate metabolism were identified as significantly altered metabolic pathways. Acylcarnitine, located on the carnitine shuttle pathway, had a significantly positive correlation with defecation frequency. It was speculated that PFM may contribute to alleviating constipation symptoms through 3 potential mechanisms: fine-tuning gastrointestinal microbiota, fighting inflammation, and regulating metabolic pathways.

Keywords: constipation; gut microbiota; inflammation; metabolomics; metagenomics; probiotic fermented milk.