Synbiotic supplementation with prebiotic Schizophyllum communederived β-(1,3/1,6)-glucan and probiotic concoction benefits gut microbiota and its associated metabolic activities

Synbiotics synergistically favors beneficial effects of prebiotics and probiotics towards host metabolic health by modulating gut ecosystem. In this study, we sought to examine the effects of prebiotics (Schizophyllum communederived β-(1,3/1,6)-glucan), probiotics (concoction made of eight different bacterial strains) and synbiotics (prebiotics + probiotics) on gut microbiota and its associated metabolic functions through 16S rRNA gene sequences analysis. Results showed that probiotics strains used in this study were detected more in the synbiotic and probiotic treatments, while prebiotic dietary intervention increased the total bacterial abundance and metabolisms related to host immune strengthening. Probiotics and synbiotics dietary interventions enhanced similar metabolisms relating to butanediol and s-adenosyl-l-methionine biosynthesis. Probiotics treatment also showed depleted metabolic activities related to SCFA productions, that were not depleted in prebiotics treatment. With varying differential abundance patterns and metabolic activities across the treatments, our results suggest that synbiotic treatment provide more beneficial effects over probiotics and prebiotics.