Indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) is an interesting molecule in relation to various “gut-organ” axes. Its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity have linked IPA to potential benefits for the cardiovascular system, metabolic health, and neuroprotection. In the present study, carrot rhamnogalacturonan-I (cRG-I), in parallel to reference substrates (inulin, xanthan), was investigated in a large-scale ex vivo study, leveraging the high throughput and predictivity of the SIFR technology. The study considered 24 gut microbiota, donated by healthy adult individuals. We could observe in first instance that cRG-I stimulated consistently IPA across all individuals, as opposed to inulin and xanthan that exhibited a more pronounced interindividual variation. Secondly, cRG-I also specifically stimulated B. longum, a micro-organism known from the scientific literature (mouse and clinical trials) to be involved in the conversion of IPA precursors.

This study complements our previous publication on cRG-I, highlighting the precise and consistent effect of the substrate on the gut microbiome composition and key fermentative parameters. Read more.

Full article: Mercenier et al, 2024, Metabolites