사람 장내 Lactobacillus와 선택적 프리바이오틱스 Fructooligosaccharides

Human Gut Lactobacillus and Selective Prebiotics Fructooligosaccharides

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are prebiotic carbohydrates that, when ingested, pass through the gastrointestinal tract undigested and reach the large intestine largely intact. FOS are fermented by the gut microbiota, resulting in the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that have beneficial effects on the human body. Lactobacillus is a major species widely used in the probiotic field, and is increased in the gut by FOS ingestion, indicating their importance in FOS metabolism in the gut. Lactobacillus have a genetic advantage in FOS metabolism because each strain, although different, possess a specific operon for the same purpose of utilizing FOS. The specific FOS utilizing operon allow for the selective thriving of lactobacilli in the presence of FOS as a gut carbohydrates. To date, three specific system for FOS utilization have been reported in Lactobacillus. In this review, the importance of FOS as a selective prebiotics for thriving Lactobacillus and FOS utilization in these species was described. This review provides a crucial understanding of how Lactobacillus thrives when FOS is ingested as a prebiotic substrate and is abundant in environments specific niches such as the human gut.