Germinated Millet ( Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) Flour Improved the Gut Function and Its Microbiota Composition in Rats Fed with High-Fat High-Fructose Diet

Jaqueline Maciel Vieira Theodoro, Mariana Grancieri, Mariana Juste Contin Gomes, Renata Celi Lopes Toledo, Vinícius Parzanini Brilhante de São José, Hilário Cuquetto Mantovani, Carlos Wanderlei Piler Carvalho, Bárbara Pereira da Silva and Hércia Stampini Duarte Martino ()
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Jaqueline Maciel Vieira Theodoro: Department of Nutrition and Health, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Mariana Grancieri: Department of Nutrition and Health, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Mariana Juste Contin Gomes: Department of Nutrition and Health, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Renata Celi Lopes Toledo: Department of Nutrition and Health, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Vinícius Parzanini Brilhante de São José: Department of Nutrition and Health, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Hilário Cuquetto Mantovani: Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Carlos Wanderlei Piler Carvalho: Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos, Rio de Janeiro 23020-470, Brazil
Bárbara Pereira da Silva: Department of Nutrition and Health, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Hércia Stampini Duarte Martino: Department of Nutrition and Health, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-14

Abstract: Germinated millet ( Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) is a source of phenolic compounds that has potential prebiotic action. This study aims at evaluating the action of germinated pearl millet on gut function and its microbiota composition in Wistar rats fed with a high-fat high-fructose (HFHF) diet. In the first stage, lasting eight weeks, the experiment consisted of two groups: AIN-93M (n = 10) and HFHF group (n = 20). In the second stage, which lasted ten weeks, the animals of the AIN-93M group (n = 10) were kept, while the HFHF group was dismembered into HFHF (HFHF diet, n = 10) and HFHF + millet (HFHF added 28.6% of germinated millet flour, n = 10) groups. After the 18th week, the urine of the animals was collected for the analysis of lactulose and mannitol intestinal permeability by urinary excretion. The histomorphometry was analyzed on the proximal colon and the fecal pH, concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and sequencing of microbiota were performed in cecum content. The Mothur v.1.44.3 software was used for data analysis of sequencing. Alpha diversity was estimated by Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson indexes. Beta diversity was assessed by PCoA (Principal Coordinate Analysis). The functional predictive analysis was performed with PICRUSt2 software (version 2.1.2−b). Functional traits attributed to normalized OTU abundance were determined by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). In the results, germinated millet flour reduced Oscillibacter genus and Desulfobacterota phylum, while increasing the Eggerthellaceae family. Furthermore, germinated millet flour: increased beta diversity, cecum weight, and cecum/body weight ratio; improved gut histological parameters by increasing the depth and thickness of the crypt and the goblet cell count ( p < 0.05); reduced ( p < 0.05) the fecal pH and mannitol urinary excretion; increased ( p < 0.05) the propionate short-chain fatty acid concentration. Thus, germinated millet has the potential to improve the composition of gut microbiota and the intestinal function of rats fed with an HFHF diet.

Keywords: beta diversity; goblet cells; intestinal health; prebiotic; intestinal permeability; whole grain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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