Effects of soluble dietary fiber from sweet potato dregs on the structures of intestinal flora in mice

Abstract The influence of soluble dietary fiber (SDF) obtained from sweet potato dregs on the diversity and structure of gut microbiota in mice were explored. Thirty-two male Kunming (KM) mice were randomly divided into the following four treatment groups for a period of 30 days: control group (control diet, GC), SDF low dose (0.5 g/(kg.d), LSDF), middle dose (1.5 g/(kg.d), MSDF), and high dose (2.5 g/(kg.d), HSDF). High-throughput sequencing was used to profile the structure of g gut microbiota in the caecum samples. Different contents of SDF from sweet potato dregs showed different effects on the intestinal flora of mice, in terms of OUT, phylum, genus and species levels. MSDF group could reduce the relative abundance of Desulfovibrio, Corynebacterium_1, and Aerococcus (harmful bacteria, which could induce the inflammatory disorders); It could also increase the abundance of Lactobacillus and Faecalibaculum (beneficial bacteria, which maintain the intestinal flora balance and have anti-inflammatory effects). However, LSDF and HSDF groups showed the opposite trends to the MSDF group. It might be because that the intestinal environment formed by the intake of 1.5 g/(kg.d) of SDF from sweet potato dregs in mice was relatively suitable for the growth of beneficial bacteria (e.g. Lactobacillus spp.), which is more conducive to the stability of intestinal flora. SDF from sweet potato dregs was effective on the intestinal flora of mice, and the MSDF group showed better effects than LSDF and HSDF.