Evaluating the effect of prebiotics in the rehabilitation of gut microbiota after antibiotic therapy in rats

Abstract

The present study evaluated the effect of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) on gut microbiota after antibiotic treatment given two times a day. Four groups were made having six rats in each group. G1 was a control group fed on a basal diet. While, the remaining were treated in groups given antibiotic and GOS separately and also in combination as in G2. The dose of antibiotic and GOS was calculated by HED (Human Equivalent Dose) formula. Fecal samples were analyzed at the interval of five days for bacterial population especially Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp. and Escherichia coli and total plate count was achieved using selective media. The results indicated that the growth of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. depended on GOS and antibiotic dose. The combination of GOS-Cephalexin is mostly of interest because due to the antibiotic. The results of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. were decreased while on GOS consumption, the growth of such species is increased. The results of G3 showed that the number of colonies of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. was significantly higher than G2 on the 5th day. Furthermore, the recovery rate was faster as compared to other groups. This research suggested that intake of GOS during antibiotic treatment significantly strengthen the microbiota by increasing the population of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. as well as reducing the number of E. coli that shows resistance to many antibiotics.