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Synbiotic Therapy Reduces the Pathological Gram-Negative Rods Caused by an Increased Acetic Acid Concentration in the Gut

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Abstract

Background

The mechanisms for the improvement of the gut flora and the intestinal environment by synbiotic therapy are unclear.

Aims

This study evaluated the changes in the gut flora and the intestinal environment after synbiotic therapy, and tried to clarify the mechanisms by which synbiotic therapy reduces pathological bacteria in the gut.

Methods

A total of 47 enteral feeding patients with long-term mechanical ventilation support were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to synbiotic and control groups, at a two to one ratio. Patients in the synbiotic group were administrated Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and galactooligosaccharides as synbiotics for 8 weeks.

Results

The characteristics of the patients were not significantly different between the control (n = 16) and synbiotic (n = 31) groups. In the synbiotic group, the counts of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in the gut increased significantly to 100 times the initial level following synbiotic treatment. The acetic acid concentration increased (71.1 ± 15.9 vs. 46.8 ± 24.1 μmol/g) and pH decreased in the gut in comparison with the control group. The concentration of acetic acid in the gut increased in proportion to the Bifidobacterium counts. The counts of pathological gram-negative rod decreased significantly to one-tenth of the initial level in inverse proportion to the Bifidobacterium counts. Furthermore, the amount of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lower respiratory tract decreased significantly after synbiotic therapy compared to the controls.

Conclusion

Synbiotic therapy reduces the pathological Gram-negative rods by increasing the acetic acid concentration in association with an increased counts of Bifidobacterium.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to express our sincere gratitude for the valuable assistance in performing the bacterial flora analyses by Mr. Norikatsu Yuki and Mr. Akira Takahashi, of the Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research. This study was supported by a grant of Hokkaido University.

Conflict of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emergency and Critical Care Center, Hokkaido University Hospital, N14W5 Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8648, Japan

    Mineji Hayakawa & Satoshi Gando

  2. Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo, Japan

    Takashi Asahara & Koji Nomoto

  3. Heiseikai Inoue Hospital, Sapporo, Japan

    Toshiteru Ishitani & Atsushi Okamura

Authors
  1. Mineji Hayakawa
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  2. Takashi Asahara
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  3. Toshiteru Ishitani
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  4. Atsushi Okamura
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  5. Koji Nomoto
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  6. Satoshi Gando
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Correspondence to Mineji Hayakawa.

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Hayakawa, M., Asahara, T., Ishitani, T. et al. Synbiotic Therapy Reduces the Pathological Gram-Negative Rods Caused by an Increased Acetic Acid Concentration in the Gut. Dig Dis Sci 57, 2642–2649 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-012-2201-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-012-2201-9

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